The Best Laid Plans
by OddCoupler222
Summary: They didn't plan to meet each other. Arizona didn't plan on Callie being more than one night; Callie didn't plan on Arizona being so resistant. But maybe the best outcomes arrive from the unplanned. AU
1. How Callie Got Her Groove Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy. It's very possible that if I did, Sara Ramirez might never leave the screen.**

* * *

As soon as she entered the bar, Addison and Mark flanking either side of her in one of their unimportant snipping matches, her eyes searched the perimeter. She couldn't control the disappointment that seemed to well up inside her when she didn't spot who she was looking for. Not that she should have expected her to be here tonight, anyway. Because she didn't, not really. Except, she _had_ expected it. Okay, not expected. Hoped was more like it. Accepting her defeat, she led her friends toward a table, grateful that it seemed to be a low traffic night tonight.

Mark's voice cut into her thoughts as they sat down, "I don't see her."

"You don't even know what she looks like," Callie rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "And besides, I'm not looking for her. Or anyone. I'm not looking for anyone."

Addison snorted, "Yeah, right. As soon as we hung out today, you couldn't wait to tell us all about your night," she finished her sentence with a wink.

Mark joined in with a laugh, "If I had to title the last twenty-four hours, it would be called, _How Callie Got Her Groove Back_."

Even though she had a small smile creeping up on her own face, "You two are assholes."

"I'm going to get some drinks," he responded, "What an asshole I am, buying _you_ the first round. I'm offended!"

Addison went with him up to the bar, and she shook her head at herself. Maybe last night really had been one of those one-night things, destined to not go any farther. She just felt… it was hard to describe. She felt on track again, like maybe life was starting to be normal. Then again, maybe that was the point of last night – to kick start her life, and it wasn't meant to be anything more than the one night.

Making eye contact with the her redheaded friend, she gestured toward the bathroom. _Shake it off, Torres._

Blue eyes watched the Latina go into the restroom from her perch at the corner of the bar, a smirk seeping up onto her face. She told herself not to come back tonight, but she couldn't help it. Much like she couldn't help herself from sliding off the stool she'd been sitting on for a few hours and following the dark haired beauty into the bathroom.

* * *

_Last night_

With a heavy sigh, Callie looked around; she was surrounded by the faces of people she'd seen around campus, with music pounding in the background. This wasn't a typical night at Joe's. A typical night was a cozy amount of people – not too little that it made you feel like you were drinking alone in the middle of the day, but not too many that you could hardly hear yourself think. It wasn't the most popular bar within walking distance of campus, but it was, in her opinion, the best.

That is, when sweaty classmates weren't trying to create a dance floor with the limited space, grinding up on her when she didn't want to be grinded on. She signaled for another shot of tequila from Joe, who had to shout over the bar at her to overrule the sound, "You look like you're having a rough night."

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be so packed in here. Especially because classes don't even start for a few more days; I thought people would still be home," she shouted in response, throwing back her third shot of the night, barely grimacing at the burn in the back of her throat.

He chuckled, "Well, apparently everyone wanted to celebrate the first unofficial Thirsty Thursday."

She rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement, "I guess," she murmured, even though she knew Joe couldn't hear it.

As Joe left to serve people farther down the bar, she turned to look at the swarm of people. Classes would begin for the semester on Monday, the start of her third year of medical school at Harvard University. And she was equal parts thrilled with that aspect of her life and straight up miserable about others.

Before she could gesture for another drink, she felt someone press against her back. If this was another idiot – her thoughts cut off when she realized it was Mark's voice in her ear, "Torres, cheer up! It's the first Thursday of the year. The first year where we're going to start doing real clinical rotations! Stop sulking and drink up."

She spun around and managed to glare up at him despite their close proximity, "I _can't_ "cheer up;" there are hundreds of people –"

"Please, seventy-five, tops," he interrupted with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, "– too many people in here, being loud and obnoxious and rubbing themselves all over each other. And I'm celibate. I don't want to see everyone coupling up in front of me, while I am celibate. Because it sucks."

He huffed and gestured for a round of drinks, "The answer is simple then: don't be celibate! Come on, Cal, you're hot. You can have your choice of anyone in this room. It's been over a month since –"

This time, she cuts him off with a threatening finger pointing into his chest, "Don't even say her name. I don't want to hear it." And for all Mark didn't realize, this wasn't really about she-who-would-not-be-named. Callie's weird funk was more about herself.

"Fine," he picks up the two freshly poured shots and holds one up to her mouth while the other is against his own, and they down them at the same time. Slamming them back down, he shakes his head, "But my point is the same. You've been miserable for too long. You weren't even going to come out tonight if Addison and I didn't force you. Just try to lighten up and be your old self one time before we get a shit ton of work to load us down. Remember that thing called fun? Try to have some!" He managed to shout at the end as a woman, one who she didn't know and one who he undoubtedly had no idea who she was, grabbed his hand and started leading him away. Right before he was back into the crowd, she felt his hand slap her ass, "Fun," he reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, because this was _definitely_ her idea of fun. But as much as she hated to say it, Mark was right. She'd been flailing for the last month and a half, trying to find her way back to herself, back to the woman who felt confident and sexy. The woman who did have fun out with her friends, drinking tequila because it was the last Thursday night before classes started. She wanted to find that person again, to _be_ that person again. Taking a deep breath, she told herself that this was it, her chance to make that last ditch effort before the old her faded too far away to get back.

She felt someone else press against her. Someone who definitely was not Mark. A new voice was in her ear, "Your friend is right you know."

She couldn't control the shivers that popped up on her skin. Maybe this was her chance, her opportunity, for _fun_. Despite feeling out of practice – she hadn't really had to try to pick up anyone in almost two years – she turned to look at the face of the person who owned that voice, wracking her brain for something receptive to say in response, but as soon as she looked into ocean blue eyes staring back at her, any words she might have said died on her tongue. "What?"

Arizona grinned, her eyes raking very obviously down the tall body standing oh-so-close in front of her. "You're too hot to be celibate." The Latina looked even better so close than she did a foot away from where the blonde had accidentally eaves-dropped over their conversation.

Callie could feel an uncharacteristic blush work it's way up her cheeks. She'd been called hot, and many more considerably dirtier words, before, by several people. But the way the words rolled off this woman's tongue… the way her dimples – fucking _dimples_ – popped… Callie had never before felt her knees weaken. But they did right at that moment. Barely managing to recover, she smiled back, "You're pretty hot yourself." The blonde was wearing a short black skirt that showed off killer toned legs that looked silky smooth, with a tight blue top that made her eyes stand out even more, like they needed the help. And Callie couldn't even get started on what it did for her breasts.

"That must be why your eyes are on my chest," Arizona responded in amusement. She really had no room for judgment; her own eyes had been fastened onto the raven-haired woman's ample chest for the better part of the last five minutes. She let out a small giggle as wide brown eyes snapped up to look into hers, and she leaned forward, standing on her tiptoes to get her mouth level with the brunette's ear, "Why don't we go somewhere a little more private and you can have a better view?"

Callie wasn't sure if her heart sped up for stopped, but it was doing something it definitely wasn't supposed to be doing, and all she could do was nod, feeling the blonde take her hand and lead her toward the exit. As soon as they were out of the crowd and onto the marginally more spacious street, she felt her back be pushed up against the brick wall with those boobs she'd just been ogling pressed into her own. A groan bubbled up in her throat as pink lips attached themselves to her own.

Arizona's core throbbed in response to the groan she felt vibrate against her lips. God, those plump lips she'd been eyeing felt even softer against her own that she's imagined. Almost out of her own control, her tongue slipped out of her own mouth, and gently swiped across the brunette's bottom lip. Immediately, that mouth opened and a tongue slid against her own, a groan coming out of her own mouth at the taste of this stranger.

Callie's hips rolled against the slim blonde's as that mouth pulled away from her own, planting wet kisses up her jaw until it reached her ear. She shuddered, feeling her lips move against her, warm breath gently panting, as she blonde asked, "Let's get out of here, for real."

"Fuck," the brunette panted, still pinned against the wall in the muggy summer heat, growing hotter and hotter the more the blonde rubbed up against her. "Your place?" she managed to get out.

Dimly, Arizona could register the sight of her small apartment. It still needed to be painted, her boxes were still packed up even after she'd been living there for three days. _She_ barely wanted to go back to her own apartment, let alone bring someone else there. Not to mention that bringing someone back to her place would be a very bad way to break one of her important rules. She shook her head, "No, yours."

She dimly wondered if she'd cleaned up her room recently and picked up all of her dirty clothes off the floor. She thought so. But, Jesus, with those hands tracing patterns against her sides – when had they slipped under her shirt? – she doubted either of them would be caring too much about the cleanliness of her room. As a thumb grazed the side of her breast, she bit her lip, hard, feeling the light sensation all the way to her core. Placing her hands on the blonde's hips, she pushed her away only to take her hand and start to lead her across the street.

Arizona managed a breathless laugh as they entered the apartment building, "You live right here and you were going to make us wait until we made it to my apartment?" Her heart skipped a beat as the hot, hot Latina threw a look at her over her shoulder as she led them up the stairs.

As they climbed, reality started to set into Callie's mind. She was starting to lead a stranger up to her apartment. A woman who she'd made out with and was about to fuck in her bedroom, and Callie didn't even know her name. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, the woman reached her hand out and caressed her ass, and Callie decided she really didn't care all that much. With shaking hands, she unlocked the door and they stumbled inside, her immediately pulling the blonde toward her bedroom.

Arizona didn't even take in her surroundings before she kicked the door behind them closed and shoved the taller woman against it. This might have been the other woman's room, but Arizona wasn't one to give up control and she _needed_ this. Especially after watching that amazing, round ass climb up three flights of stairs in front of her face. Her hands darted back and each got a firm grip on the butt underneath the denim jeans. This time, she was the one who groaned, her mouth moving to latch onto the skin right above the brunette's clavicle. As she suckled on that soft flesh under her lips, she managed to slip her thigh in between the Latina's, pulling her forward by the hold on her ass, and grinding her down on it.

Callie threw her head back, banging it on the door, a long, deep moan working itself out of her mouth. Her hips bucked against the strong thigh working rhythmically against her center. God, she was close. She was close, and she hadn't even been touched yet. She guessed that was what over a month of no sex would do to you. And goddamn, she wanted it. Now.

As if the blonde could read her mind, her hands slip from her ass around to unsnap her jeans, jerking down the zipper before plunging her hand into the underwear.

Arizona could feel the continuous string of moans work their way from the back of the brunette's mouth, as her fingers deftly toyed in the abundant wetness. She gasped and pulled back her head to look at the stunning Latina in front of her, "You're so wet."

She could only watch as the brunette nodded vigorously, her eyes tightly closed, mouth open. Not able to hold herself back for even enough time to get the brunette's pants down, Arizona slipped two fingers easily up into the beauty in front of her. She started a quick rhythm, managing to flick her swollen clit with every thrust despite the limited mobility, and she knew that the dark haired woman would finish quickly. She could feel her walls clenching already, and she watched, transfixed, as the tall woman bucked repeatedly into her, loud grunts coming out of her mouth. She squeezed her thighs together, making her own arousal almost unbearable while the feel, sight, sound, and smell of the woman in front of her was almost enough to send her over the edge without even being touched at all.

Callie couldn't hold on for much longer; her orgasm was coming at her with what felt like the intensity of a freight train. "Yes," the word ripped from her mouth as it started. She forced herself to open her eyes so she could see into those darkened blue ones as she – "God! Yes! Right there!" Her body shuddered and bucked against the shorter woman as she came, toes clenching, her entire body going rigid for the longest orgasm of her life, until she came down.

Shaking, she would have collapsed if not for the gorgeous blonde in front of her, pressing her tight body against Callie's, holding them both against the door. Her hand continued to rub, slowly, and aftershocks would occasionally rip through her body. When she had nothing left to give, the blonde's hand slowly pulled out, and as she stared into Callie's eyes from barely inches away, she brought her fingers to her mouth. Callie felt her mouth fall open as this woman licked her hand, closing her eyes and moaning.

The sight empowered Callie, into grabbing the blonde's hips and forcing her to walk backwards until they reached the bed. When they did, Callie wasted no time in hitching up the shorter woman's skirt and making her feel just as good.

It was hours later when Arizona's eyes opened, and she blearily looked around. This was not the room in her new apartment. Then she became aware of the soft snoring coming from her right, and the warm arm thrown around her midsection. She looked up, seeing the alarm clock on the bedside table next to her. She'd fallen asleep, which was uncharacteristic of her, because Arizona Robbins did _not_ spend the night. Regardless of how mind-blowingly great the beautiful woman next to her was in bed.

Slowly, gently, she lifted the caramel toned arm off of her stomach and rolled out of the comfy, warm bed. As quietly as possible, she found her shirt and her skirt, pulling them on haphazardly in the dark room. She found her heels under the bed, reaching for them, then wondered where the hell her underwear was. While she was looking, she heard the brunette groan and she froze. Arizona Robbins didn't get caught sneaking out. That was just bad manners.

Fuck it. The hot Latina could keep her underwear.

* * *

Callie heard the bathroom door open, and she looked up into the mirror just as she shut off the water from the sink, her eyes widening and heart pounding, "So you _are_ here."

Arizona couldn't control her smirk, "So, you _were_ looking for me." But it wasn't a question.

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Callie turned around, "You snuck out on me last night."

With a shrug, she walked closer, "We fucked each other senseless without either one of us even knowing each other's name. I didn't think we had etiquette rules."

Callie gulped at the look in her eyes, "Do we get to know each other's names now?"

Arizona toyed with the idea; it wasn't against any of her rules to exchange names. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when she and one of her conquests hadn't exchanged names. Granted, sometimes she might not remember the name, but… "No," she decided, with a smirk. Why not keep it sexy anonymous?

Callie wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and to grab her and pull her against her body at the same time, "Will you tell me if you go to school on campus?"

Arizona took one step closer, bringing her right in front of the brunette, "Nope." She was kind of enjoying this game.

Callie's hands reached out and linked her fingers with Arizona's, pulling her into her body, so that their breasts were just barely brushing against each other's. They both let out airy sighs, and she asked, "Do I get to know anything about you, other than the fact that you are very skilled with your fingers and tongue?"

Arizona giggled and just gave one of her biggest smiles, shaking her head. She leaned in, making like she was going in for those luscious red lips, and just when the brunette tipped her head and closed her eyes, expecting the kiss, she ducked and let her lips ghost over that long neck.

Unable to control the moan that erupted from the back of her throat, her hands reached up to claw themselves into blonde hair, as soft lips set to their glorious – fucking _glorious_ – work on her neck. "Are – god, you're so good at that – are you going to stay the night this time?" She asked, desperately trying to sound casual, but the effort was just too much against the onslaught.

Arizona nipped roughly at the delicious skin right above the jack-hammering pulse point, her hands molding to the womanly hips pressing into her, before pulling her head back and looking into those dark eyes, "No. One more night, no strings." Her head dipped again, and she lapped at the slight red mark she had left just seconds ago, "Is that okay with you?"

Was it even possible to say no when that tongue was making her feel things she'd never felt before? "Yes," she breathed out. One night, and Arizona would be a thing of her past. The way it was, apparently, supposed to be.

* * *

**Please tell me what you think! I've never written for this fandom before and I would love feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	2. And Lost It

Callie became faintly aware of a dip in the other side of her bed, of the warmth of a human body sinking down onto her covers. With a smile, she snuggled down and tossed her arm over the waist, picturing blonde hair, blue eyes, and dimples in her head. But then the voice ruined it, "If you think I'm that mysterious woman you had come over this weekend, you are sorely mistaken and I should probably get out of your bed right now."

Her mind jumped through its normal sleep-hazy stage and right into consciousness as her eyes opened wide, "Yang? What are you doing in my bed?"

Satisfied that her Latina roommate was awake and was not going to attempt to snuggle her or do… anything else, Cristina stretched out in the bed, crossing her hands behind her head. She let out an uncharacteristically dreamy sigh, "Do you realize that today you're going to take a class with _Richard Webber_? Like, the Richard Webber. He practically reinvented the way general surgery was done, before becoming a professor."

"Are you kidding me?" Irritated, tired, Callie stuck her head under the pillow and whined, "Yes, Cristina, I do realize that I'm taking Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis with Webber. He's the reason I signed up for the class." Her head shot up, panic written across her face, "My alarm, I never heard my alarm. Did I oversleep or –" she cut herself off as relief washed over her upon sighting her alarm on the table. With an annoyed growl, she dropped her head back down, "I don't have class until eight thirty. What in the world made you think it was a good idea to wake me up at _six_?"

Cristina looked at her with an air of confusion, "I thought you would already be up because you're going to be able to take Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis with Richard Webber! How you could still be sleeping is beyond me. And tomorrow you get to take Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology! I don't like to admit that I'm jealous… but I'm jealous."

With a huff – clearly, she was not getting back to sleep today – she sat up and raised her eyebrows at the Asian woman, "Did you memorize my class schedule?"

She gave a slight narrowing of her eyes as if to say _obviously_, "Well, you get to take two of the most interesting courses offered while I'm stuck in plain old pathology. Pharmacology. Immunology. Microbiology." She finished with a disgusted tone and rolled her eyes.

Callie groaned and flopped onto her back, "Paying your metaphorical med school dues, Yang. Everyone has to trench through those classes before going to the big leagues."

"Well, it's not fair. I already know most of what they're going to "teach" me, guaranteed. I'm smarter than most third years! I'm smarter than you, I should be in your classes," she said carelessly, now crossing her ankles.

Running a hand through her bedhead, she rolled her eyes at her roommate. Typical Cristina. Stretching, she got up and walked into her bathroom, "Next time you want to wake me up two hours before my alarm, fight the urge. Stay in your own room, Yang."

* * *

"I woke up to Cristina Yang in my bed," she complained to Mark and Addison as they grabbed coffee from one of the vendors near the building in which they all had class that morning. She hit Mark in the chest, almost causing him to spill his coffee, because she knew he would have that smirk on his face without even looking, "And not like that, perv."

Amused, Addison opened the door for them, "So? I'm pretty sure Yang has been waking up at three in the morning on the first day of classes since she was in pre-school. Maybe even since the womb. Shouldn't you have expected this?"

Before she could answer, Mark interjected, "Oh, she's just disappointed that her lady lover wasn't in Joe's last night. Or Saturday night, for that matter."

"Shut up," she shook her head, denying his accusation, despite that he was right. Even though she and… whatever her enigmatic blonde's name was had booked it out of the bar bathroom and back to her apartment for a second night for earth shatteringly good sex after agreeing that it would be the last night for them to hook up, she'd foolishly gone back for the next two days hoping to find her there. It was almost like she couldn't help it – she'd gone from moping for a month to enthralled with this woman who had dimples so cute they would make a baby jealous and eyes so blue they must have been borrowed from the sky. She just felt… she _felt_ with the blonde. Felt alive, felt sexy, edge, badass. Just like she'd felt before her heart had been broken into a million pieces, before she felt alone.

But her efforts of going to Joe's were for not, because the blonde was nowhere in sight. She was staying true to that promise just as she'd stayed true to the promise that she wouldn't stay the night. Friday night, she hadn't even stayed long enough to fall asleep afterwards. After three rounds, they both had lied down on the bed, staring at the ceiling to catch their breaths. When Callie had turned her head to look at the gorgeous woman, her eyes met those cerulean blues and she was sure she felt a connection so deep, something she'd never had with anyone else.

The blonde's elegant fingers had come up to stroke Callie's cheek, before sliding into her hair while their bodies edged into each other. Her own hand itched to touch the blonde even though it had just been inside of her a minute ago. Giving into the urge, she slipped her hand down to the satin soft skin of her light hip as their mouths had met in an open kiss. Her eyes instinctually wanted to close, but those blues were still open, and so she kept her own open as their tongues didn't duel but instead kept a steady connection with each other, rolling against one another.

And after a while, but at the same time all too soon, the blonde had pulled away, sucking on Callie's bottom lip gently before releasing it and brushing her hands down Callie's neck, whispering, "Goodbye." Before she slipped out of bed, slipped on her clothes, and out the door.

She couldn't say this to her friends because they would think she was crazy for feeling like her soul had connected to this woman's, so she said nothing except, "Well, here's our room. TMEC 250. Have fun in Human Reproductive Biology, Adds." But she said it with a smirk, knowing that when course registration had taken place last fall, Addison had been deeply torn about whether to take the class she was interested in for the course material they would be covering or to take the one where the material wouldn't be as fascinating to her, but was taught by Webber, as they were offered at the same time.

Addison glared back, "I _will_ have fun. Suck it."

"I'd love to!" Mark called after her while his eyes stayed glued to her form until Callie pulled him into the classroom.

"I thought you were over that," Callie commented, glad that they were among the first people here so they could sit right in the front before the seats became too filled up.

"And I thought you wouldn't be so hung up on a one night stand," he countered, quick to change the subject.

"Actually, it was two nights. And I'm not hung up on her… I just… can't explain it," she sighed and picked up her notebook out of her bag along with a pen, the required textbook, and a highlighter.

He laughed, "Now it all makes sense." Then he grimaced when she flicked him, hard, in the hand with her highlighter. "Seriously, how great could Stacy have been in bed? I mean, you've experienced the Sloan Method before."

"Sorry to bruise your fragile male ego, but she was better than the Sloan Method. And Stacy? She was so _not_ a Stacy," she narrowed her eyes, picturing the blonde's face in her head. "She's definitely unique. Stacy is not unique."

"Hey, you don't know her name. Stacy, Macy, Lacy, Casey. Debbie, Donna, Dierdre, Danielle. She could be any one of them. I'm just choosing to go with Stacy. Oh, yeah, Stacy," he embellished the name with an imitation of a woman squealing.

Stacy. There was just no way her mystery sexcapade was a Stacy, she could feel it in her bones. "I will bet you fifty bucks that her name is not Stacy," she offered her hand to him to shake on it.

But he just looked at her hand, "We're making a bet neither of us will ever be able to win."

The thought of never encountering the blonde again had plagued her thoughts, but she stood firm, "Come on, Mark. Who could possibly stay away from me for that long?" Oh, boy, that list actually went on for a good while. Not the best thing to say, as the names of the people who _had_ just walked away from her popped into her head.

Sensing his best friend was about to dip into that depressive place, he quickly took her hand and shook it in a firm grip, "No one who's in their right mind," he confirmed, then forced that Sloan smirk back onto his face, "And besides… I just know she's a Stacy."

The door snapping closed instantly stopped all conversation floating about the room as everyone stared at the tall, dark man who just entered. Callie could even feel her heart beat a tin bit faster. This was Richard Webber. For someone who wanted to be a surgeon, being in the same room as someone who was a surgery god was the same thing as a pre-teen girl being in the same room as Justin Bieber, and apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling it.

"Good morning. I want to be clear that we're all on the same page: this is Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis, strictly for third year students. You have all made it halfway through your four year education at the best medical school in the country, and as such, I expect that you are all prepared for a heavy class load here. This class runs from eight thirty until one in the afternoon, every Monday and Wednesday. Attendance to every class session is mandatory, unless you have an excused reason. You will be graded on class participation, midterm and final examinations, and written papers throughout the class, the dates of which are on your syllabus. Each one of you sits here, hopeful. You need to remember that while right now you're being taught by doctors, very soon, you will _be_ the doctors. This class will push you to the breaking point, because I believe that only the best students deserve to go on to be the people who actually hold human lives in your hands."

With every word that he said, Callie felt her heart soar. Yes, her first two years had been grueling and time-consuming, and she had worked until she was exhausted. But listening to him, she felt like this was her rightful future. She and Mark exchanged grins before continuing to listen to Dr. Webber speak.

"Due to the rigorous work load I expect to be completed by you, and the fact that there are forty of you and only one of me, I have hired a Teaching Assistant, one of my new fourth year students, to aide me in instructing this class. Her name is Arizona Robbins, and she will be here momentarily," he continued, but Callie was distracted by Mark sliding his notebook in her direction.

Chancing a glance down, she saw **Arizona Robbins? Now that's a unique name.**

She held back her instinctual urge to write back. Because this definitely was not the time, not when you were sitting in the front row of your first day of Webber's class. A minute later, the door opened, and she heard the voice that she'd heard whisper seduction into her ear only a few nights ago, "Sorry I'm late, Dr. Webber, I had a difficult time finding the building."

Her head snapped to the doorway, and sure enough her blonde was there. She was wearing black dress pants and an elegant jacket over it, a blue button up shirt below that. Nothing like her ridiculously sexy outfits from going out this past weekend, but Callie still felt her mouth run dry. If she had thought her heart was beating erratically from Dr. Webber… god damn, she'd been wrong. _This_ was what it felt like for a pre-teen to be in the room with Justin Bieber.

Dr. Webber nodded and gestured for her to come to stand next to him at the front of class, "Meet Arizona Robbins. Make a small introduction," he instructed her.

The blonde – Arizona – came to stand just feet away from Callie's front row desk and gave a small smile to the students, "Hey everyone. I'm a fourth year med student, recently transferred here from Johns Hopkins. I was a TA there for one of my professors for the first time last year, and it was a great experience, so I'm hoping to recreate that this year!"

Her voice was so… bubbly. Perky, even. It didn't fit with the image Callie had constructed of what this woman might be like outside of the bedroom, and yet, it was better. Her palms were sweating, she noticed dimly. Now she just wanted to make eye contact. She _needed_ to make eye contact. So she stared. She stared right through the rest of Webber's lecture, stared through Arizona passing out the syllabi, stared as Webber left the room to retrieve the attendance from his office, leaving Arizona to write the heading of their first day lecture on the board. She stared, _hard_, and got no response.

She only stopped staring when Mark nudged her and leaned in to whisper, "I get that she's hot and all, but you're kind of creeping me out."

"That's _her_, Mark! That's my weekend woman," she whispered back, eyes going back to look at the ass that was nicely highlighted by slight black heels. An ass that she had seen and felt, naked.

Mark's eyes bulged comically, "That's Stacy?"

"Yes!" But not Stacy. Arizona. Arizona Robbins. She was right; the name did fit the girl. Keeping her eyes on the blonde's back, she smiled, "And you totally owe me fifty bucks."

"How come Stacy hasn't even acknowledged you yet? Or has she and I was too busy staring at her boobs to notice?" he asked, but received no answer as Webber returned.

But Mark was right. She hadn't gotten any recognition. In fact, she was pointedly not getting a look in her direction. And it remained so for the remainder of class. She thought her moment was going to come when Dr. Webber has assigned Arizona to the task of collecting an open book quiz near the end of class. As the blonde approached, Callie took a deep breath and fixed on her best smile, and as she handed in her paper, she said a soft, "Hey."

Arizona did look at her then, with the same perky smile she wore for everyone else and brightly said, "Hi." Before collecting her quiz and moving on to collect Mark's.

She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She spent two amazing nights with this woman, felt like she had never before connected so well to another human being. Those blue eyes had burned with passion and desire for her, less than a week ago, and she didn't even get a flicker of recognition? She still had the marks from that woman's mouth on her body. Her body, distantly, still felt the best kind of ache from their fucking. And she got the same perky, nondescript _hi_ as everyone else?

The brunette was only drawn out of her reverie when Mark slung his arm over her shoulder, "Come on, Cal, it's all right. It was just one of those light flings. She doesn't mean anything by it, I'm sure."

It wasn't until then that she realized she'd missed the end of Webber's lecture and that everyone was packing up for the day. He was right, she recognized that. But she couldn't stop her eyes from following every move the blonde was making, getting ready to head out the door, and she shoved everything in her backpack. As Arizona left through the door, she quickly zipped up her bag and followed, leaving Mark behind and calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you in Intro to Patient Care!"

She escaped the classroom just in time to see that fabulous ass disappear into the bathroom across the hall. Taking a deep breath, she followed. Not having to actually use the toilet, but not wanting to just stand there, she reached out and turned on the faucet, suddenly nervous as the toilet flushed and Arizona opened the stall door.

Callie wanted to imagine that there was a falter in her step, but she was pretty sure that was just wishful thinking. Because the blonde fixed on a pleasant smile and stepped right up to the sink next to Callie's. And the Latina was baffled, unsure of how to continue. "So… your name is Arizona." _What was THAT, Callie? Are you kidding me?_

Arizona grinned at her, that same distant grin, "And you're…" she paused for a second, "Calliope?"

"Callie," she automatically corrected, hating that Arizona had access to the roster and her disgusting, full name. As she finished washing her hands, she stepped over to draw out a paper towel and blurted out, "Do you even remember me?"

The smile was gone off of her blonde's face as she too shut off her water and stepped forward to grab a paper towel, bringing their bodies within inches of each other. Callie saw it, the darkening of those gorgeous eyes, as Arizona answered softly, "Yes."

Callie let out a shuddering breath, she couldn't help it. And she couldn't help that she was going to reach out to touch this beautiful woman, who still remained an enigma to her. Except, when she did reach out, the blonde was already out of her reach and walking through the restroom door.

Callie was left staring at the back of the woman, blonde hair swishing over her shoulder, as the door shut. What the hell was that?

* * *

**Here is chapter two! As I said in the summary, Arizona will be a bit resistant in the beginning... All in good time my friends. Thank you all for the favoriting and following, and especially to the reviewing. I thrive on feedback - questions, comments about what you liked, even (gently) what you didn't like... makes my day. So please leave some ;)  
**


	3. Cool and Professional

Arizona sat in her parked car, looking at herself in the mirror with her hands gripping the steering wheel. It was the Wednesday of the first week of classes and in ten minutes, she had to sit in on Dr. Webber's lecture and succeeding quiz on the beginnings of the pathogenesis of chlamydia. That wasn't the problem; she'd taken a very similar course last year at Johns Hopkins, and had found it fairly interesting, and Dr. Webber was a great lecturer.

But she had to gear up to sit right in front of those large, dark eyes for _four and a half hours_. That was a long time to know she was being stared at by a stunning woman who just happened to be a dynamo in bed. Said stare screaming _I want to see you naked again, let's have sex! Now. _

With a groan, she leaned her head forward to rest on the wheel, her hands falling down to her sides. How was she supposed to have known that what she planned to be her ringing in her first weekend in Boston hot fling was going to end up being a med student? _You idiot, you went to a bar that was practically on campus. Your own fault, Robbins_.

She argued with her inner voice, saying out loud, "But I had no way of knowing that she was going to be in the one class I was going to TA for! What have I done to my life?"

Ruined her fresh start, that's what she did. She left behind Baltimore and the bad memories and the bad feelings there, to start fresh here in Boston. Here, where she would stick to her three rules: no spending the night, no getting caught sneaking out, and no sleeping with a woman more than three times. If she stuck to the rules and made sure that all parties involved were aware they weren't going anywhere, she wasn't doing anything wrong. And yet, here she was, after royally fucking up already.

Now she had a whole semester where she would have to spend nine hours a week in close proximity with a woman she didn't plan on seeing again. An extremely sexy woman, who had eyes made for the bedroom and breasts to die for. With a deep breath, she looked at herself in the mirror again, and finger combed her hair, then forced herself to stop. She didn't have to look good for her Latina – the Latina, she corrected.

Calliope.

What a name. _Stop_. Okay. Professional. That's what she had tried to do Monday, as soon as she had stepped inside the door to the classroom, her hands wanted to shake. She wanted to drop the bag she had come in holding because holy shit, there was her fun weekend woman fling. But just as quickly as she'd seen her, she managed to look away. And stay away, because she was in the classroom. She had to keep it professional there, especially on the first day.

It was just too bad that the only way for her to force herself to stay professional was to make herself stay distant from the brunette. God, when she'd sought her out in the bathroom, when her husky voice had said "Arizona" for the first time, she'd wanted to back her right into a stall and make her scream it. So she fled. Because not only would that be sleeping with her for a third time, breaking one of her rules, but that would be so far from professional…

She reached to the passenger seat and lifted her book bag. Inside, she had all of the graded open book quizzes from last class. Of course Webber would give a quiz on the first day. Not that it was too difficult, seeing as how it was open book. But it was timed, and most of the people in the class hadn't read in advance, which resulted in them frantically searching for the answers, and her giving out a lot of C's. That would definitely scare them into reading before class, seeing as how they needed to maintain a B+/A- average in order to stay in the program.

Calliope had gotten an A.

_Arizona!_ She admonished herself. Enough thoughts about her; girls with brains were insanely hot, especially when they came with an outside package that looked like _that_. But she was done thinking about her. That was enough about Calliope Torres, hot girl with brains who was excellent between the sheets. There would be other women, who were not in the class which she got paid to work in that could be a great resume builder. Other women who she would just fuck and forget, who would have no chance of sneaking up on her thoughts.

For now, all she needed to master was maintaining that professional stance in the classroom. The same smiles she gave to all of the other students. She could do it. She'd gotten through more awkward situations than being a TA to a girl she'd recently had sex with.

Making her way out of the car, she headed across the parking lot to the TMEC building she'd had such a hard time finding on Monday. Luckily, this time, she was outside of the classroom two minutes early; Webber had been understanding before, but probably wouldn't be a second time, not that she could blame him.

Opening the door, she kept her eyes straight ahead and walked toward the smaller desk next to the professor's podium, putting her bag down and getting out her class materials before locating the attendance sheet and starting to mark down the people who were already present, calling out names as she went. "Mark Sloan," she called out, and was forced, for the first time, to look into the direction she'd been avoiding, as the corresponding voice answered, "Right here, blondie."

She narrowed her eyes in a glare. Blondie, seriously? "Calliope Torres," she said it aloud the same way she said all of the names and automatically looked at her. She was wearing her hair up in a perfectly messy ponytail, with a purple deep neck t-shirt that scooped her generous breasts – nope, cut it out. "Here," she muttered, "Definitely here."

Just after she'd finished the attendance, Dr. Webber walked in, shutting the door behind him with that definite _click_ he had. He gave her a small smile which she returned, and he turned to write the lecture heading on the board. As he did, she heard a distinct whisper saying, "Stop calling her Stacy!" Even though she recognized that voice, she kept herself from looking in the direction it came from. Cool and professional.

She was able to remain as such for the next few hours, though it was getting more difficult as they were assigned to discuss the readings for chapter 3 in the text and write up an analysis of the main points in groups. And she could hear only snippets of the conversation taking place in front of her, making her wonder what Calliope Torres was talking about with this Mark who was obviously her friend. She recognized him from the last Thursday and Friday nights at Joe's, too. She wondered if he knew the two of them had slept together, she wondered –

"Miss Robbins, would you mind going to make copies of this assignment?" Webber's voice came from her left, sliding a paper onto the table in front of her. Which she was very, very grateful to do. Anything to get out of that room.

Only, as she left the class, she slowly meandered down the hall, because she had no idea where to make photocopies in this building. She knew her way around the administrative building across campus, because that was where she had interviewed to be able to transfer here and where she had interviewed to get this job. She'd received a tour of the facilities open to her as a teaching assistant, but had never toured the TMEC building. But she knew there had to be somewhere for her to do this in here… but where?

"Are you lost?" A voice asked to her right.

She turned, spotting a tall, skinny dark blonde woman approaching her. Appreciative, she smiled, "I'm new here, barely been in this building at all. I'm also Dr. Webber's TA and I have no idea where to go to make copies. I'm Arizona." When she received a strange look in response, she chuckled, "As in, that's my name. Not the state."

The other woman grinned back, "I'm Teddy. As in, that's _my_ name, not a bear. TA for Dr. Evans, nice to meet you. Follow me."

She led her up a set of stairs, to the third floor, and down a hallway until they reached a dark brown wooden door, with the glass panel labeled "Teaching Assistant Office." Arizona shrugged, "Whoops. I guess this would have been easy enough to find on my own. Thanks, though."

Teddy reached into her pocket and fished out a key, then unlocked the door and opened it in a sweeping motion, "Welcome to the beauty that is we of the medical students, desperate enough to make money by taking on even more class work than we need to!"

Inside, she was lead into a room that had five desks piled into it, with a large bookshelf lining the back wall, full of different textbooks, and two small windows with cracked blinds pulled down over them, throwing the room into shadows. Teddy gestured to the corner of the room, where, crammed between the wall and a desk, was a large printer/copier. Arizona walked toward it, still glimpsing around at everything she could see.

Teddy's voice floated to her from across the room, "It's not much, but it will become your home."

Putting the assignment into the machine and entering how many copies she needed, Arizona turned around, "My home?"

The taller woman nodded, "Oh yeah." She pointed to the desk closest to the copier, the one Arizona was currently leaning a hip on, "That fifth desk is yours. There are five doctors who have their offices on this floor; Webber is one of them. Where there is a doctor with a spacious office, there is a TA sharing a small dark room with several other TA's." She walked up to the desk, and had to bang on the top of it twice before the top drawer would open for her, explaining, "Because you're the new kid, you get the bum desk." Then she reached in and pulled out a set of keys, "Here; one will get you into the building after hours and one will get you into this room. Use your power wisely, and by that, I mean remember there are four others who can barge in here at any time, so if you're planning on having sex in here, I suggest you be into exhibitionism."

Arizona laughed and tucked the keys into her pocket, "Believe me, I don't plan on bringing anyone here to have sex."

Teddy tilted her head, "Rarely does someone ever _plan_ on that, my friend." Checking her watch, she whistled, "Yeah, I was supposed to be back in Evans' class to collect quizzes two minutes ago. I'll see you later."

With a grin, Arizona waved and decided that she liked Teddy. And she liked this little room. When she TA'd last year at Hopkins, you only got a desk if your doctor gave you one in his office. And the doctor she'd worked for was a straight up asshole, who definitely was not going to give up his space to give her room to do her work. It smelled like stale coffee and old books, kind of like a library mixed with a rundown Dunkin Donuts, but she enjoyed it.

When the copies were made, she felt in a marginally better mood. She had keys. And a desk. It was awesome! With a little bounce in her step, she went back to the classroom. The desk and the keys and the library/coffee smell gave her much more incentive to maintain her professional demeanor.

She opened the classroom door just as Dr. Webber looked up, "Perfect timing. I was just explaining that due Monday we will be our first outside of class project, discussing the development of chlamydia on a molecular level."

Looking down at the papers in her hand she realized she was holding said assignment. With their unspoken agreement, she started walking up and down the tables, passing out the rubric, listening as Dr. Webber explained how they would be working in assigned pairs to finish the assignment over the weekend. He read off the pairs out loud just as she finished passing out the papers, and sat back at her seat in the front of the room, starting to pack up her things as she noticed the time.

As people started to file out of the class, she very successfully managed to keep her eyes on the ground and not to seek out any particular person. Except her attempt was foiled as the space in front of her was suddenly filled by smooth, muscular caramel colored legs. She slowly looked up them, then up the rest of the body they belonged to, to see that the dark eyes were trained on Dr. Webber rather than herself. She told herself she was relieved.

Callie cleared her throat to get Dr. Webber's attention, "I'm Callie Torres… you paired me up with Amy Doyle on your list, but she's not here today, and she wasn't here on Monday, either. Just my luck, I suppose. It's no problem, I can do the assignment by myself. I just wanted to let you know..." she trailed off, feeling laser blue eyes on her face. But she wasn't going to look at her, not after being pointedly ignored all day. Even during attendance. Seriously.

Dr. Webber looked at her above his glasses, "Luck, indeed. Well, as a matter of fact, you are lucky, because you'll be paired with Miss Robbins."

Feeling her heart start to beat too fast, Arizona jerked her eyes from Callie to the professor, "Sir, I –"

But he cut her off with a simple hardening of his facial features, "Is there some reason you cannot – or will not – work on this assignment? I trust that you have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the subject matter."

She knew the subject matter like the back of her hand; that wasn't the problem. The problem was this meant she was going to have to work outside of a classroom setting with this woman who she had to keep her hands off of even though her hands didn't want to be off of her. But Dr. Webber was the epitome of the type of authority figure that she could in no way defy. Even the thought of doing so made the corners of her eyes prick with the burning of incoming tears, "Yes, sir, I know the content."

He nodded, as if finalizing his newfound partnership, "Perfect. I'll trust the assignment to be presented by you two on Monday," he said as he stood and picked up his briefcase.

Callie felt terror ride in her throat as she called after him, "Presentation?" She couldn't do a presentation, not in front of a class or forty peers at the beginning of the semester. But he didn't answer. Momentarily letting her panic blind all of her senses, she looked to the blonde, "We have to give a presentation?"

Arizona, seeing the alarm in the Latina's eyes reached out a hand to land on her arm to comfort, "It's going to be okay." But as soon as they made contact, they snapped back into their previous roles. Feeling awkward, she withdrew her hand, "Um, how about we plan to work on the assignment tonight? Get it out of the way before the weekend comes?"

Callie nodded, "That sounds good. I have Intro to Patient Care until five, but after that? We can meet…" her words fell back down her throat.

"I think it's best if we meet on campus. How about in the TA room, upstairs on the third floor? I'm going to be in there pretty late tonight to grade the work you guys did today," _and it was a safe, public, academic space_ she rationalized.

Callie smiled and nodded, and Arizona wondered if anyone else could actually light up a room with a smile, like that megawatt one just did.

Waving, the brunette shifted her bag over her shoulder, "I'll see you later."

* * *

Arizona sat at her desk in the TA office that night, distracted by grading because of the time. It was just after five, so Callie should be arriving there soon. She took a deep breath, yes, she was prepared. She'd arranged her desk so that her chair was on one side, and the one Callie would sit in was on the other. They wouldn't even be touching. Not that she would do anything with her because that would put their number of days in which they had sexual encounters at three, and she only did the less than three rule. The rule had served her very well in the last few years, and there had been other women who had tempted her into breaking the rule and she'd managed to resist them. So she would be able to resist Calliope Torres.

Taking a deep breath, Callie stood right outside the doorway from which the dim light was coming from. The whole building was silent right now, except for shuffling of papers she could hear from inside. She wanted Arizona again; she wanted to touch her, to be touched by her, and she wanted to break that resolve the blonde had clearly been holding so deeply on to since the beginning of the week. Maybe even to just to prove to herself that she could. Adjusting the straps on the skimpy tank top she'd managed to slip back home and change into before coming here, she walked in.

Dear lord, Arizona thought, practically swallowing her tongue as Callie walked in. She'd been driven insane by the much less revealing shirt the Latina had been wearing that morning. But this tank top… she contained a growl, because _shit_ that shirt squeezed those perfect boobs almost as well as those shorts did to that ass. But there would be no more of those thoughts, because she was done having them about Callie.

Forcing a cheery smile, she gestured to the chair across from her, "Come on in."

Callie walked with a purposeful sway in her hips, watching as sapphire eyes stared at her and containing a delighted smirk as the eyes were torn away and Arizona cleared her throat. Before she sat, she made a show of looking through her bag, "My book isn't in here. I think I forgot it at home… do you mind if I sit over there so we can share yours?"

She swallowed hard but managed to shake her head, "No of course not." She'd had every intention of not looking at Calliope and making herself look into the pages of the book, and after a few seconds, she lived up to that intention. But she was sure that the chair was just too close to hers, because she could smell sweet perfume invading her senses. Her entire room had smelled like that, she thought, and it gave her images of soft, bare skin.

She rolled her chair a few inches in the other direction. "All right, so the first question we need to talk about –"

"Are we really not going to talk about Thursday and Friday at all?" Callie interjected, nerves starting to flutter in her stomach.

She'd known they really couldn't avoid this. Pressing her hands into her thighs, she turned so that she was actually looking at that gorgeous face only inches away, "Calliope…"

"Callie," she corrected, keeping her eyes trained on the blonde's face.

She continued, "This weekend," was awesome, "was such a mistake. And I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I need to make it abundantly clear here that I'm your TA. It would be unethical." Not to mention, it would break her rules.

"Yeah, well, you did hurt them, when you pretended you didn't even know who I was. Not even a hint of recognition from you, that hurt," the words tumbled out, even though she hadn't been planning on saying them.

Feeling guilty, she reached out and touched her hand to Callie's shoulder, "I didn't mean to make you feel like that. But we… I told you there were no strings on Friday night. I told you, and you agreed that it was what you wanted."

"I know. I remember. But I can't help but think that if I knew we were going to be in a situation where I was going to see you regularly, I wouldn't have agreed," because it was clear that they were meant to be something more than no strings, right? Fate had intervened, and –

"I would have either," Arizona said, relieved. "So we're both agreed. We're both over what happened this weekend, and we're just going to be a normal student/TA relationship. Right?" God, she could still smell that perfume, it was invading her senses.

She nodded, dumbly, not sure if there was anything else she could say. Well, she could say _you make me feel alive_ or _I've never had sex that amazingly good_ or something along those lines. As Arizona leaned over the desk to get a look into the textbook, her hair fell over her face, revealing the curve of her shoulder into her neck. And Callie wanted to press her lips right there, into the super soft skin. Leaning in, she whispered, "So, if you weren't my TA and we ran into each other… we might have another chance."

No, because that would still break the rules, Arizona thought, feeling her skin erupt in goosebumps as she felt the warm breath on her, "Callie, I…" words died on her tongue as a groan made its way out, feeling those plump lips brush over the back of her neck.

She brought her hand up and scooped back the blonde hair blocked her access to the rest of that creamy neck, and she slowly dragged her lips up to her jaw, letting Arizona's taste into her senses, taking small nips at the skin, until she reached those lips, and she slowly pulled at that pink bottom lip between her own, massaging it with her tongue. She released it when her head fell back with a moan, as the blonde's dexterous hands zipped from their white knuckle hold on the edge of the desk, to her chest.

She cupped that amazing flesh, "Christ, Callie, are you even wearing a bra?" In response, there was a negative shake of the head, and that was all she could handle as she reached up to the straps of that tank top and pulled them down her arms until those magnificent tits spilled out, her hands going right back to their position, her thumbs brushing over rigid nipples, watching, spell-bound, as they tightened even more.

Unable to resist, she lowered her head, taking one into her mouth and flicking it with her tongue, her other hand still on the other breast, not leaving it out. She felt long fingers grip her hair, holding her head into place over the pert nipple, before tugging her to the other one, and she was only too happy to comply.

Her hands found purchase on the Latina's curved hips and she dimly registered that they were both still sitting down. Tearing her head up, she looking into eyes so dark they were almost black, "Up, stand up."

They were both on their feet within seconds and Callie's hands immediately reach out to unbutton Arizona's professionally done up collared shirt, letting out a laugh as shaking hands were hindered by small buttons, "Who wears this many buttons all done up?" she asked, and finally, frustrated and needing to see the blonde's body, she just tugs and pulls until the buttons rip out.

For a second when it's off, she just takes a moment to stare because those perfectly sized breasts were encased in lacy pink and the way the bra pushes them up, "Oh my fucking god," she groans, and scrapes her hands up the blonde's sides to then scratch at the material, feeling nipples harden under her touch through the fabric.

Panting, Arizona was sure she was wetter than a lake, and she needed to be touched. Now. Not bothering to even unsnap the button and drag down the zipper, she just pushed them down and kicked them away, taking the Latina's hand and pulling it right to her core. _Yes_.

Callie reached pulled her hand back, grinning at Arizona's frustrated moan, only to run her hands around the blonde's thighs, grasping behind them and moving them both forward so the blonde was sitting on the edge of the desk, with her right between her legs. Arizona shoved the book and pens that her behind her back, not caring as they clattered to the floor, as she fell back onto her elbows to watch the Latina between her legs bring her hands up to peel down Arizona's ruined thong, throwing it over their heads. Arizona's hands are back to grabbing at the edge of the desk, waiting in raw anticipation of the pleasure she _knows_ this woman can bring her.

Callie slides over one of the chairs, sitting in it and rolling to the edge of the desk, her face coming within inches of the dripping slit. Sliding her hands up the long legs, reveling in the softness, she grips hard at the thighs and pulls them open. The blonde's scent reached her, and her mouth watered… god, she needed to taste her.

Dipping her head, she gave a slow lick from the bottom of that dripping slit to the top. A growl made it's way out of her throat at the taste, and she dove in, tightening her hands on the thighs around her head. Making her tongue into a hard point, she drove it into the drenched center, before pulling it out to lap up the moisture soaking out, letting Arizona's whimpers go to her head, making her crazy.

The smaller woman's hands left the edge of the desk and clawed at the dark hair between her legs, "Fuck… I need more. M-more, please –" she cut herself off with a cry as two talented fingers edged inside her wet heat, filling her, quickly pumping in and out, as that miraculous mouth went to her bundle of nerves, sucking it in between her lips, running her tongue around it in tight circles.

She could feel the heat coiling low in her stomach, and she kept her head up so she could see down her body because the sight of that dark hear buried at her center was – "Oh, god!" – great. So close, so closeeee, her hands had a death grip in those soft black locks as pleasure ripped through her body. The strength in her arms gave out, and she fell back on the desk as her hips bucked and stars burst before her eyes.

Callie lapped up everything the blonde had to give her, slowly pumping her fingers in and out until she could feel that the blonde couldn't take anymore. Wet lips made their way up the body splayed out in front of her, planting random kisses on the smooth skin, until she reached Arizona's mouth. Dropping her head to be level with the woman underneath her, she brought their mouths together slowly, letting the blonde taste herself as she let out a satisfied whimper.

She smiled when the blonde head fell onto the desk once more and she turned her head to whisper into her ear, "Want to go out with me sometime? Possibly now?"

Immediately, her after sex haze disappeared and her body tensed, "Umm, not really. No."

For a split second, Callie was sure she heard Arizona incorrectly. Then she registered the tenseness in the body below her and pulled back, staring at her while confusion swirled in her head, "No? Seriously?"

Callie stood straight up, off the smaller woman, while Arizona sat up to look at her, "Please, we can't… this was such a mistake. But it would be even worse if we were to go on an actual date. We just can't do it. _I_ can't… I'm your TA, it wouldn't be right, and…" and she was damage goods and she had rules to follow.

"Whatever, Arizona. You don't have to explain yourself. No strings, right?" Callie sniped, pulling up the straps to her shirt and grabbing her backpack.

"Calliope, wait! The assignment –" She was cut off as Callie whipped open the door.

"I can do the assignment myself, and it's _Callie_," she hissed, feeling stung, and she slammed the door satisfyingly loud behind her.

Arizona flopped back. So much for that have sex less than three times rule. She looked around with a sigh, and good job not having sex in TA office. Eight days in the new city, and she was already doing a bang-up job.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think! And a great thanks to those who already have :) (and who have added me to favorites/following), you guys are the best!**


	4. No Strings Benefits

"We made it out alive! One month of the semester done, drink up!" Teddy announced as she brought a round of tequila shots back to the table.

It was a rare evening, Arizona had come to learn, where all of the third floor TAs would come for a drink together. While she and Teddy had become pretty good friends, they didn't hang out with the others who worked in the office very often. There was Derek Shepard, whom she had called Mr. Hair for two weeks, Owen Hunt, whose intensity at times frightened her, and then Miranda Bailey, and well, she wasn't exactly sure how to describe Bailey, except for the fact that she liked her.

But the five of them? Going for drinks together on a Saturday night? Not a typical occurrence. Generally speaking, they would all clock enough hours in the same room with one another while they were in the rabbit hole, as they'd taken to calling their tiny office. The other day, they'd even had a basket scoring competition, in which they placed the small garbage barrel in the middle of the room and crumpled up all of the old papers their individual professors had given to them to dispose of, and tried to see who could get the most in.

It has been down to Arizona and Owen, until Bailey had come in and saw the overflowing papers on the floor and fixed them all with a glare, _"We might all have to work in this crappy little office but we don't have to do it like slobs_," she'd said. So the game had been cleaned up, but Arizona was sure she'd have had taken Owen if they'd just had a few more minutes… she just didn't like to lose.

"Here's to the upcoming midterms grading frenzy!" Derek called out, and they all downed a shot.

"Here's to failing those morons we can't believe made it this far," Bailey chimed in next, and they took another.

Arizona spoke for the third and final shot, "Here's to setting up a round the clock coffee buying schedule!" they all chuckled as they downed their last shots.

Derek, staring across the room, was the first one to stand up, "It's been a pleasure, all, but I have to go see about a girl."

Arizona had learned about Derek and Meredith Grey, the second year med student and daughter of _the_ Ellis Grey, the second week of the semester, when she'd walked into the office late at night because she'd forgotten to take one of her textbooks that she needed to finish a paper. Let's just say, Derek didn't look her in the eye for a week afterward.

Bailey taking her leave followed soon afterward, though she just altogether left the bar. Out drinking with them just wasn't really her thing, Arizona guessed; Bailey always just seemed like she had something better to do, but Arizona couldn't quite put her finger on what about the short woman made her feel that way.

Which left just her, Owen, and Teddy. Not only had she garnered intimate knowledge of Derek's sex life very early on, but she'd also picked up on the strange dynamic Teddy and Owen had with each other. Even though he was dating some second year, they still had this weird little thing, that more often than not turned into awkward silences… like the one they had fallen into at that moment.

Arizona cleared her throat, "Well… Owen, how's that class you're in with Dr. Luciano? I've heard it was really challenging."

He seemed grateful that she was starting a conversation, and ate it up like a starving dog getting a bone, taking it gaze from Teddy to her, "Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology? It's actually really great. I mean, I love the ER rotations, and obviously trauma sees a ton of broken bones, so it's pretty interesting. Hard, yes, but interesting."

She noticed Teddy fiddling with her shot glass, and flicked her thigh underneath the table to get her to stop before smiling brightly at him, "I bet you're a star student." And she did mean it, because she thought he was really smart, and he never panicked, no matter what his workload was or how much be had to get done on a deadline.

He gave her a small, crooked smile in response, "Actually, I'm not. A third year student is… it's kind of strange how easy it all comes to her."

"Oh, really? Who?" She questioned, but found her attention drifting. Owen wasn't bad and she wasn't all that bored… but what she wanted from tonight was to drink a bit and then to have some really good sex.

But his response definitely drew her back in, "Torres. Uh, Callie Torres. She kicks ass at all of the labs; finishes them almost a half hour before anyone else even thinks of it." He gestured to the left, where the subject of their conversation turn stood with a tall, skinny redhead.

She shouldn't have looked. Because damn, Calliope looked good. She was wearing skinny jeans that hugged her voluptuous lower body, with a pair of killer black heels, with an off the shoulder gray sweater that really did nothing to showcase the curves that she knew were underneath, and yet still managed to be mouth-wateringly sexy. She threw her head back and laughed at something the redhead said, and Arizona found herself wondering whether or not they were on that date that Callie had once asked her out on, just two weeks ago.

Well, if she was, good for her. That was great for her, really, because she should be with someone who didn't just want to use her for sex. Fabulous sex. Super awesome hot sex.

Arizona really, really needed to get laid. Tonight. By someone who wasn't the Latina who seemed to be on a date.

She came back to the real world when Teddy swiped her hand in front of her face, "This is Teddy, buzzing in for Arizona. Hello?"

When she looked at her friend, she was met with a look of amusement, and she rolled her eyes, "What are you laughing at?"

"What was with the hardcore staring you had going on?" the taller woman asked quizzically, lifting her brow and yanking her head in the direction of the Latina.

Arizona shook her head, "Nothing, I just… um, she's hot." That at least, was true.

Owen shifted his gaze between the two, and then up to the bar, "I think I'm going to…" he left and made his way to an Asian woman sitting there drinking like there was no tomorrow.

"That was some intense staring for the simple fact that the girl is hot. I mean, I agree, she's pretty attractive, but there just seemed to be something more in that loaded gaze. Maybe it's my imagination…" she trailed off, clearly not believing anything was just her imagination.

She just gave her friend a _look_, "You want to talk to me about charged, loaded gazes? Hello pot, meet kettle."

"Low blow, Robbins. Owen and I are a weird, messed up case of… who even knows? And we went over that last week. Old news. You and this Callie Torres, not old news. Go talk to her!" Teddy urged, after having seen her new friend not express much interest in anyone in the few weeks they had gone out together.

Blue eyes rolled, "Talking to her is the last thing I need to do." She wanted to not do so much talking, and definitely not with Calliope.

"I sense there is a story here," the darker haired woman said in a sing-song voice. "Tell it."

Heaving a sigh, she shrugged, "It's really nothing. We hooked up a few times, the first week I was here. But it didn't mean anything."

Teddy's mouth dropped out, "_Torres_ is the reason your shirt buttons were scattered all over the floor the first night you had access to the office?!"

She felt an uncharacteristic blush rise to her cheeks… she'd thought she had found all of those buttons. Shaking her head, she chanced a glance up to the Latina, who was leaning over the table, deep in conversation with the pretty redhead now. "Yep."

The lanky woman watched her friend watch someone else, "So… what happened? Did it fizzle out? Sexual chemistry gone?"

A laugh slipped out before she could stop it, "No, that's definitely not the problem. She wanted to go on a date."

Teddy raised her hand to cover her heart, letting her mouth fall open in mock-shock, "The _nerve_!"

"No, Theodora, the _rules_," she corrected, rolling her eyes. She'd told Teddy about the Arizona Robbins Three-Rule Guide to Not Breaking Your Heart the first Friday night at school, when they'd gone to Teddy's apartment and drank so much wine that her head hurt just thinking about it.

And when Teddy had learned of this rule, she gave Arizona such an incredulous look, much like the one she was giving her now. "Are you kidding me? A hot lady that you had good sex with asked you out… and you said no… because of some stupid rules?"

Arizona lifted her hand to stop her friend from talking anymore, "Hey, those rules have served me very well in the last year and a half. I mean, look at you and Owen –"

"Those rules do not apply to my relationship with Owen because we have never had sex. Therefore, we have never spent the night with one another, been caught walking out on one another, and we have clearly never had sex more than three times," but the look on her face belied that she would certainly do all of those things given the chance.

Tsk'ing, Arizona folded her hands on the table, "Oh, dear, sweet, Teddy. The whole point of the rules is to avoid emotional attachment, and you? You are so emotionally attached to Owen, it makes me sad to see you look at him. Because that emotional attachment and caring just leads to heartbreak."

"Sometimes I wonder how someone who is so smart, is so dumb," she pushed back in her chair, "I'm going to get more drinks."

From behind her, a voice started to speak, "You know, I think your rules make a whole lot of sense." Which was followed by the scraping of a chair and footsteps.

Looking up, Arizona raked her eyes down the body of the woman in front of her. She was short and slight, with brown hair framing her face in a sleek bob, and green eyes that appeared to sparkle in mischief. Having her eyes make a lazy journey back up to meet said eyes, she felt her body react appropriately and thanked god for this. _This_ was what she needed tonight, and she gave a sly smile, "Oh yeah? I'm Arizona."

The brunette reached out and took her hand, trailing her fingers over the back of it, "Lindsey."

Before they could go any farther, she paused, "You're not a student at Harvard Med, right?"

The woman tipped her head to the side, "No, Harvard Business."

Her notorious smile lit up her face and she was excited at the prospect. A night with a woman who wasn't Calliope Torres. And it had been almost three weeks since she'd had sex; definitely time to get this show on the road, "Then by all means, take a seat."

"Would you look at that? That woman looks like a – a tramp," Callie stewed in anger, picking at the label of her beer bottle as she stared across the room where Arizona was sitting with a short, slight woman who was admittedly attractive.

Addison laughed, "Are you serious? Come on, Cal, you need to stop thinking about this Arizona woman. She doesn't want to go on a date with you, which – I get it, it sucks – but it's not the end of the world. You just have to find other fish in the sea and all that."

Still glaring in the direction of the blonde and that woman, her stomach tied in knots, "But I want her."

Exasperated, Addison took the Latina's face in her hands and made her look at her instead of at the TA, "Why? To me, it just seems like she saw you as a short term thing, and then took advantage of you when you guys _had sex in the TA office_ and then she rejected you! I'm glad you're getting over Erica –" she ignored the sharp look she got by mentioning the name, " – but you need to get over her with someone who isn't going to make you have to get over them."

Though she was listening to Addison's words, she was still concentrated on the interactions in front of her. It was difficult to think about telling Addison why she wanted to be with the blonde who by all means hadn't treated her that well. But there was more to her perky TA than Addison and Mark knew. Like how, on the day of the presentation, she'd thrown up in the bathroom down the hall from class three times and Arizona had pulled her hair back for her, without saying a word, and gave her reassuring smiles the whole time she'd made her god-awful presentation to the class. On her paper that had been handed back, Arizona had written in her bubbly writing encouraging and complimentary statements. Callie knew her friend was looking at this scenario as her like a puppy dog, chasing after someone who didn't want her, but that wasn't how she saw it.

_She_ wanted to have a drink with Arizona, and sit at the table with her in a public place. And – suddenly, blue eyes snapped up to meet hers and her heart jumped to her throat. Still feeling jealous, she simply lifted an eyebrow and made a noticeable shift in her attention back to Addison.

Two could play the aloof game; she was not going to look over there again. After another torturous minute of not looking over to see what sort of interaction they were having, she touched Addison's shoulder, "I have to go to the bathroom."

She'd taken two steps in when she felt hands on her back pushing her into a stall and she couldn't help the delighted grin that overtook her mouth, "You know, this is really inappropriate to do to your _date_."

Arizona swung the stall door shut behind them and locked it before responding, "She's not my date; she's just a woman. What about the one you're with?"

Callie threw her head back and laughed, "Addison is so not gay. I mean, we kissed once, but we were both super drunk, and –" she was cut off by Arizona's hand pressing against her mouth.

"I have rules, okay? I have rules that I follow, and one of them entails that I only have sex with a woman less than three times," letting out a deep breath, she tried to think of why she felt it necessary to share this information, but came up with reasons she couldn't articulate, "But I've already broken that rule with you, because you're insanely hot and you're super smart, and you have a smile that shines brighter than the sun. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that I have rules for a reason, because I don't believe in dating."

Confused, she lifted a sculpted brow, "How do you not believe in dating?"

"I just… commitment, in my experience, rarely works out. And it ends up badly and causes pain and it's not worth it. Are you telling me the first night we hooked up you were in such a terrible mood because a relationship was working out for you?" She asked rhetorically, because she already knew the answer. No one wore that down and out look that the Latina had been wearing that night who was feeling lucky in love.

Trying to put the pieces together and figure out why this conversation was taking place in the locked stall of a dirty bar bathroom, Callie slowly nodded, "So, the reason you refuse to go on a date with me is because you've been hurt before… fine. I can accept that, I guess, even though I think it's stupid and illogical and –"

"The point I'm trying to make here, in a roundabout sort of way, is that I don't like to break my rules because I have them in place for a reason; a reason I'm not prepared to tell you about," she paused and tried to gather her thoughts as she realized that she had been progressively been moving even closer to the taller woman, caging her against the stall wall.

Sensing that the blonde needed a boost, she prompted, "And?"

Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she looked hard at the stall wall behind the brunette's head, "And I already broke one of my rules with you, but that doesn't mean I can throw them all out the window and just start to date you because... I _can't_ do that."

Starting to feel a little frustrated, Callie reached the few inches from her own face and tipped the TA's up to look at her, "Then what are we doing in here, why did you follow me?"

And now her gaze was stuck on those luscious lips that always seemed to be painted the most appealing shade of red, "I followed you because you make me want to break my rules. And because even though I've had you several times, I still want you."

Now it all started to shift into place, and she narrowed her eyes, "You followed me because you want to have sex." She managed to keep up her glare even as those brilliant dimples showed as an incredibly charming smile was aimed up at her.

"I followed you in here because we have amazing sex, and I don't think that there is anything wrong with recreating that on occasion – or however often either of us might find it necessary – if the mood strikes us. As long as we are both two consenting adults, knowing that we're both entering into this with no serious intentions…" she trailed off and couldn't stop her eyes from roaming down to the superb breasts that were now whispering against her body with every inhale the Latina took.

By now, that azure gaze was securely stuck on her chest, and Callie smirked, "You want to be sex… not buddies, because we're not buddies. You want us to have random, hot, continuously no-strings attached sex with each other?"

"Mhmm," good god, she wanted to touch those mounds.

She let the idea roll around in her head; she knew what her body wanted because she was already ready for the blonde to slide her skilled fingers through her folds. She could feel it through her panties. But, on the other hand, even though she'd had "friends with benefits" before, with Mark, it wasn't the same. She already had a fulfilled personal relationship with Mark when they'd started sleeping together, and when it came to the woman in front of her, she knew she was going to want more. She already did. There were secrets in those seemingly careless blue eyes, and she wanted to know them. Well, no one ever said life was going to be easy. She had a woman who she wanted physically, who wanted her, and maybe, for now, she could use this change of pace in her love life. After all, her last two relationships that she'd rushed into emotionally didn't really work out the way she thought they would… "Okay," her voice dropped low as she looked at the way the blonde was staring at her chest.

Slowly, Arizona let her hands reach up to touch the brunette's hips, "Okay?"

As those hands made contact with her skin, Callie closed her eyes. Vividly, she remembered the way those hands had almost ripped down the straps on her tank top just to get access to her boobs, the last time they'd found themselves in a similar position. And after the first weekend, she'd been left with more than a few marks on them left by that talented mouth. "I'm wearing a bra this time," she whispered, and the way those hands briefly tightened against her hips on their journey up her body, she knew she was right on target.

"I think I can work with that," the idea didn't stop her in the slightest. In fact, the image of any sort of lacy covering, pushing those magnificent breasts upward… she shuddered and her hands hurried up exponentially, sliding under the shirt and briefly drawing light designs on the soft, womanly stomach before making haste up higher. Her hands hesitated right before cupping the flesh she desperately wanted to cup, reveling in the high intensity of anticipation she was feeling.

But great anticipation was not nearly as good as actually _doing_, so she pushed the shirt up higher until those boobs came into view and she took a sharp intake of air.

Callie's voice distracted her from the reverent stare, "You know, I think you might have a fixation."

"Oh, Calliope," she finally looked back at the brunette's face, "I _definitely_ have a fixation. There is no maybe about it."

"Hey now," she managed to say in her best serious voice as she was standing in a bar bathroom with her shirt pushed over her chest, "there will be no calling of the –" all of the breath left her lungs as the hands that had been hovering over her breasts now had a hold on them, and she barely managed to breathe out, " – Calliope."

With a smirk, Arizona pulled down the cups of the bra enough so she could palm those fabulous boobs. Getting up onto her tiptoes, she whispered, "Well that's not fair, because I'll allow you to call out Arizona as much as you want." Along with her words, she gave each nipple that was poking into her palms a twist, her own center throbbing in response as Callie groaned and arched her back.

As she was leaning in to place her lips against the soft ones, just starting to pant as her hands got started rolling and tugging, they both heard the door to the bathroom open, and they froze.

Teddy's voice came from outside of their stall, "Thought I should let you know that that Lindsey chick took off in a huff and told me to tell you that "tonight would have been amazing and you blew it.""

Feeling Callie's body shake under hers with laughter, she roughly squeezed her left boob before raising her voice, "Um. Thanks for letting me know."

"I also wanted to let both of you know that you might want to try to be more inconspicuous in general… I can hear groaning outside the door. Just a heads up," the dark blonde woman told them, amusement evident in her tone as she left the bathroom.

Arizona looked up at the Latina, who had a smug look on her face, "I hope you're satisfied." But the thing was, she had discovered that she hadn't wanted to leave with Lindsey, hence why she'd followed Calliope into the bathroom in the first place. She didn't feel her body ignite with heat when Lindsey had touched her shoulder, letting her hand linger, the way she did with Callie. Which was why this little arrangement idea of hers worked perfectly.

"I'm not yet," Callie responded with a sly grin, feeling immensely happy that the pretty brunette tramp with green eyes was gone. "But I have a feeling I will be very, very soon."

* * *

**As always, a huge thank you to everyone who reads, and please leave me some feedback! **

**And so the arrangement begins... but no strings attached really never works out the way people want it to, does it? Especially for the likes of these two. Also, for the idea of Arizona's personality, I focused a bit on what was revealed in the show last season, about the women she slept with before Callie, and that's my inspiration for her "no strings no problem" attitude, as well as the story of her past and why she became like that. Oh, and someone had asked what their ages were in this - Medical school is typically a four year program after you receive your Bachelor's degree when you are approximately 22, so Callie in this would be 24/25 and Arizona would be 25/26. **


	5. Relief

Everyone was already gone from the office. Just wonderful, Arizona thought, distractedly trying to dig through the papers sitting on the corner of her desk to get to a stack of already graded essays. Essays that Dr. Webber needed from her today, right after his lecture. His lecture that was slated to begin in less than ten minutes and was mandatory for all third and fourth year med students to attend. Of course she was going to go; she'd been planning on going with whoever was still in the office by the time she reached it. But it seemed like they'd all left already.

Yes! Found the papers. Quickly stuffing them into her bag, her laptop which was still open on her desk started making the distinct bloop-bloop sounds letting her know that she had a video call coming in. She jumped toward the computer, dropping the papers in her haste and letting them fall to the ground, forgotten, because there was only one person that she stayed in contact with via video chat.

Quickly tapping her hands over the keyboard to accept the call, she bit her lip as the screen was black for a few moments. As soon as the square shifted from empty space to the grainy video screen, her face shifted into a smile so big it almost hurt, "Tim!"

He had a matching smile to the one that she wore, and the sight of him, unharmed, made her feel this sense of utter relief, as it always did. "Hey, Bug."

She pretended to pout at him for the nickname that had stuck since she was an infant – when her two and a half year old brother had looked at newborn Arizona and proclaimed that she was so small with such huge eyes that she looked like a bug – but it lasted for a whole two seconds before she was back to a serious face, as she looked at his face, noting the fatigue written all over his face, "How are you?"

He shrugged, "I'm good. Everything is good here."

There was no stopping her eye roll, "Yeah, sure." Narrowing her eyes, as if that would help her see any better on the limited window of space provided for her, she assessed him but couldn't see anything physically wrong. Then she slumped down into her chair, simultaneously sliding closer to the laptop, "You missed our usual Skype session last week." God, she'd been so scared for the last four days. They spoke every Sunday night, and during the rare weeks where they missed a conversation, he had always let her know beforehand.

Undoubtedly, he would see her anxiety, but he downplayed it. He was good at that, at making everything seem like it was fine. That there was nothing to worry about. "Our unit ran into a bit of trouble," he told her and let it go at that, "We were just able to reestablish an internet connection an hour or so ago."

"I'm glad you're okay," she told him and then sat farther back in her chair, posture reflecting her relief.

He hmm'd in agreement then speculatively narrowed his eyes, "Where are you?"

"In the TA office. It's a spacious, luxurious area," she joked, and as she said the words, she was lifting the computer and gently turning it so he could see it more clearly.

He barked out a laugh, "That place is a crap hole! All the work you do there and that's what you get? At least I've got all the fresh air and space I could ever ask for…"

"Hey now, it's a crap hole, but it's my crap hole. Well, mine and four other teaching assistants'. And it's more than I had at JHU," she folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at him.

Holding his arms up in surrender, he suddenly grinned, "Speaking of better than you had at JHU, how's that woman you're seeing?"

Her mouth fell open and she felt her face heat up, "I'm not "seeing" anyone! I can't _believe_ mom told you that."

With a lifted brow, he tilted his head, "You can't believe mom told me gossip about your love life? Have you hit your head on something?"

Holding up a hand to silence him, she rushed to explain, "Listen bro, I am not dating anyone. I was _with_ a girl last week and mom was calling me, and when I answered the phone," she hesitated, thinking back to how she was bringing Callie back to her apartment for an intense, hard fuck after a long week of no sex for either of them, and how the Latina had suckled at the skin on the base of her neck, licking a path to her clavicle and sucking there, "I was put in a compromising position. Mom asked me what I was up to and I said I was with a girl. I told her we were working on a project!"

Tim let out a robust laugh, even holding onto his sides as he threw his head back, "Well, mom isn't an idiot, Bug. I'm sure she knew you weren't doing a paper with a chick on a Friday night."

Making a face at him, she shook her head, "Fine, well, clearly there was no paper being done. But we really aren't dating."

"Obviously, because that would be breaking your _rules_," he threw back, pitching up his voice a notch higher in a horrible, screechy imitation of hers.

"I can't stand you," but her tone was filled with affection. If anyone had known what she'd been through and how acutely she'd been hurt, it was her big brother.

He opened his mouth to respond, but in the background, she could hear a voice call out, "Staff Sergeant Robbins, we need you out here!"

He turned back to her with a regretful smile on his face, "Duty calls."

"Be safe," she instructed him, reaching out toward the camera and offering her pinky as if making a pinky promise. When they were younger and the Colonel was being deployed, before he was stationed primarily at higher ranking on-base jobs, Tim would always make her feel better about their dad leaving, and would always pinky promise her his safe return. Looking back on it now, she knew that there was no way Tim would be able to promise such a thing and that it was a pretty heavy thing for a boy under ten to promise, but he always did.

He gave her a cocky smile and held up his pinky, "I always am."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop from smiling back, "I mean it."

"I do, too. You think I'm going to endanger not coming back to see this girl you're seeing?" he teased, his own dimples popping as he winked at her.

Shaking her head, she smiled, "I love you."

"You, too," he responded in kind and stood with a wave before he was disconnected from her.

She stared at the image he left, the computer freezing just as his back was turned to her, and managed to take in a deep breath. Tim was okay. Growing up in a military family had taught her from a young age that death was inevitable; she'd seen it all around her from other families on the various bases they'd lived on. And she _knew_ how fortunate she was that the Colonel always came back to them, when so many people she knew had fathers and mothers alike who they would never see again.

When Tim had decided to join the marines in their fathers' footsteps… Arizona knew where he was coming from because she knew her brother. From a young age, Tim would follow all of the protocols set forth on the bases they lived on, and he lived his life based on, what the Colonel called, the Marine Code. The military was the only life either of them had ever known and though she had yearned as a child to be stationed at one permanent place to put down roots, Tim thrived in the environment that they'd grown up in. Even though she knew he could take care of himself, she was constantly worried because they had been so lucky with the Colonel never even being seriously injured, how much luck did their family really have left?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she took one last look at the desert pattern of his utility uniform, and shut the laptop. For now, they were lucky. And as a marine's daughter, she knew that "today" was what she had to be thankful for.

Looking at the clock, she saw that the lecture had already started two minutes ago. Bending down to where she'd dropped the papers, she gathered them all in a bundle, lifted the strap to her backpack, and ran out of the office, not slowing until she reached the lecture hall on the bottom floor. Taking a deep breath, she twisted the handle and slowly stepped in… unfortunately, Dr. Webber noticed. From the very front of the large lecture hall, filled with over three hundred students, he stopped his lecture – very briefly – but enough so that she knew that he noticed her late attendance.

Keeping her head down to detract from any unwanted attention, she slid into the far right corner seat right at the very back, next to the door. It wasn't like this seminar was unheard news to her – it was a speech given about how to properly care for the patients during clinical. It was for the third years, who were going to experience their first time in a real hospital setting with real patients for the first time; the lecture was primarily a reminder for the fourth year students who had already done clinical rotations the year prior.

Plus, she felt the happiness spread through her, she'd spoken to her brother who was in _Afghanistan_. She would be late to any Dr.'s lecture, any day, in order to Skype Tim. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she was about to take out her notebook when one was slid in front of her –

_It's about time you grace us with your presence._ It said.

Her eyes flew up to the person sitting next to her, realizing for the first time that it was Calliope. With a grin, she wrote back, **I don't need your sass.**

_Ah, but you need my ass. They come with one another. _

She scoffed, **I don't **_**need**_** it.** After she slid the note back, she waited for a response with slight anticipation for a response. Which was stupid, but she liked the banter they'd begun to develop since the two weeks that they'd decided to be each other's hook up. It never went deep, and Arizona liked to keep it as far away from personal topics as possible. She knew it could be – would be – easy to start caring about Callie, and that couldn't happen.

As she read the message slide back toward her on the piece of paper, Callie lifted a sculpted eyebrow, scrawling back, _Oh, really?_

The blonde was about to write something snarky back when she felt a hand drop to her thigh. For a moment, she thought nothing of it, until it slid slowly to her inner leg, making her skin, underneath black dress pants, start to tingle and heat. Long fingers slowly danced closer and closer to her core.

Her breath shortening, she squirmed in her seat and put both hands on the wrist to stop her from going any closer. However, she wasn't trying all that hard to stop the Latina's hand, and subconsciously, she opened her legs wider to allow more room. She managed to whisper brokenly, "N-not here." But she had thrown down the challenge and it was too late: that talented hand slid even farther in, until her fingers whispered over the center of Arizona's pants.

All of the air in her lungs left her in a gasp, and she turned her head to look at Callie, who was merely looking at Dr. Webber. She looked interested in his words, but Arizona saw the smirk pulling at the sides of her mouth; she was – a gasp ripped out of her mouth again, slightly louder this time – evil.

Callie knew she should probably be listening to the very important words coming out of Webber's mouth, but it took all she had just to feign attention as she manipulated her hand so that her palm was against the top of Arizona's center, and she could feel the heat radiating through her pants.

Her top teeth were digging painfully into her bottom lip as the Latina's hand worked magic between her legs, aware that any sounds she made could draw attention to the corner of the room. Weakly, she registered that it was good that she had no one on the other side of her or behind because they would be getting quite a show. Her hands reached up and grabbed onto the edge of the desk in front of her, her hips jerking forward suddenly as Callie's perfect, strong fingers thrust in the most amazing way possible so that the seam of her slacks pressed against her clit just _so_.

She was going to come. She was going to come in a room full of all of her peers, and she was not going to be able to stop it; her orgasm was already hurdling toward her. The sensation was starting, and she was already close to the edge. Once more, as Callie rubbed harder, dragging the seam against her bundle of nerves, her hips jut forward, leaving her sitting at the edge of her seat.

The girl in front of her turned to glare because of the noise, and Arizona wanted to give her an apologetic look. She tried to, really, but it was all she could do to not moan as the first wave of her orgasm started to hit. It was just going to take a few more seconds, and she was going to explode. Now that Callie had found the exact spot that was going to send her over the edge, she was relentless, and it was only moments until –

Her own thought process broke off as she squeezed her eyes shut and she whimpered before slapping her hand to her mouth and bit down hard on her finger to stop anymore sound. Her orgasm rolled through her body and she quaked in her seat, her body shuddering, biting harder on her hand. It was a fast climax, something sharp and fast and dirty, but it was fucking powerful, and she still had her hand in front of her mouth to stop any sounds that might come accidentally out a minute after it passed.

"Do you have something to say, Miss Robbins?" Dr. Webber's voice cut into her post-orgasm haze, something she _never_ wanted to hear right after she came.

Arizona couldn't believe Callie's hand was still softly rubbing her as she was supposed to respond to their professor; more aptly, she couldn't believe she was supposed to be able to respond when Callie's hand had just given her such pleasure. "U-um…" was all she could get out, until the Latina's hand pulled away and hundreds of eyes turned to look at her. Feeling a deep red blush heat from her chest to her face, she'd never felt more nervous. Her voice was trembling as she answered, "N-no sir."

As Webber went back to completing his lecture, Callie had never felt so self-satisfied. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see her TA trying to recover. Quickly, she wrote down on their notebook paper, _Well, you were right. You didn't need my ass, just my hand._

The response she got was immediate, **You are evil and I hate you.**

She didn't get a chance to respond to that one, as the lecture ended, and Arizona was out of the seat next to her in a heartbeat, walking up to Dr. Webber with a stack of papers in her hand. With a disappointed sigh – she'd been hoping for some bathroom stall reciprocation or something of the sort, because having the blonde come in her hands was literally the hottest thing Callie had ever experienced – she packed up her own bag and headed back to the library, where she planned on living for the next few weeks, until after midterms.

She'd only just managed to sit down and open a book before she felt someone approach her from behind, and she could just _feel_ that it was Arizona. Her body erupted in goosebumps, as she was about to turn around, but the blonde's hands stopped her and that voice that had such a strange and enticing mix of perky and alluring whispered, "Nope, don't turn to look at me."

Her body felt like it was strung so tightly after getting the thrill of making the blonde come so hard in such a public place, and now with her body pressed tightly against her back, she shuddered, "Why?"

Arizona's lips were so close to her ear that they brushed over the shell of it every time they moved, "Because Calliope, you just made me come in a lecture hall, full of every single one of our peers, with _Dr. Webber_ in the room. I will get you back. You won't know when. And you won't know where. You'll never see it coming… but it will."

With that, that pink tongue darted out of her mouth and traced a small path along the shell of the brunette's ear, and the pen Callie had been holding fell to the table. Good god, she didn't know if she was going to survive this.

* * *

**I try to update every 2 or 3 days, and my motivation comes from reviews ;) Thanks for everyone who has already given me some feedback, it is greatly appreciated. I understand that Arizona isn't acting in a way that many of you understand, at this point, but it will get better, and pushing people away is a - painful - defense mechanism. I don't like it any more than you do! This chapter was pretty Callie-light, but the next one will have more of her and her thoughts. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Payback

Callie was that kind of tired that resonated from the bone. Which sucked because it was Halloween night and she didn't think she could keep her eyes open long enough to go out with her friends. It sucked even more because she really, really wanted to see Arizona tonight, but she didn't have the energy to be able to hunt her down. Considering they hadn't even exchanged cell phone numbers, getting access to each other whenever they wanted it wasn't as simple as it should have been.

Right after they had their first official unofficial hook up in the blonde's apartment, Callie had suggested they exchange numbers at the very least. Arizona had just responded with a playful twinkle in her eyes and an impish smile, defiantly shaking her head. Callie had come to gather that the smaller woman liked the instances where they would run into each other and manage to sneak away together.

And it seemed to work, considering since they started this little arrangement, almost a month ago, they'd managed to get in some excellent sex at least once a week, usually two or three times. It wasn't that surprising, as their lives intertwined in more ways than simply the two of them together – not only was Arizona her TA, but their friend/acquaintance circles ran together. Arizona had made friends with her co-TA's – one of whom was dating Callie's roommate, another who was dating Callie's roommates' best friend who was always hanging out there. More often than not, they would all end up at Joe's.

Still in the elevator, she frowned when she could hear music bumping from somewhere in the building. She didn't want to deal with music; she wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep. Her last midterm was tomorrow, and ever since mid-last week, she'd been living in the library day and night, whenever she wasn't in class or clinical rotations. She was sure that she'd nailed all of the exams she'd taken so far, and what she'd really wanted to do to get rid of her built up stress was to nail Arizona. Or, more concisely, be nailed by Arizona.

However, since that didn't appear to be on the horizon for tonight, she was more than willing to just collapse in bed and sleep for the next twelve hours, right up until she had to go take her midterm.

Her frown grew even deeper as the elevator dinged and she stepped off on her floor, and realized that this pounding music was coming from her floor. More aptly, she realized, standing outside of her door, coming from her own apartment. Frustrated, she threw the door open to see that the place was crawling in people dancing around in costume. There were red solo cups strewn left and right, and there was gyrating and swaying…

Callie was sure she'd never gone from exhausted to pissed so quickly. Muscling her way through the crowd, she sought out her roommate, who was not dressed up at all, but was jumping around on the table with a bottle of tequila in her hand. Not caring about her tipsy state, she Latina reached up and grabbed Cristina's wrist, pulling her down, "Yang! What the hell? We agreed when we moved in together last year that we wouldn't have parties without each other's permission!"

The more-than-buzzed Asian woman slapped at Callie's shoulder, "Come onnn, I didn't mean anything by it! I meant to just invite Mere, and then that meant she was bringing Derek, so obviously I was going to invite Owen, and…" she trailed off and gestured to the mass of people around them.

"So your group of four people turned into _this_?" She yelled, her anger leaking out.

All she got in response was an eye roll and she stomped into the direction of her room; she was going to change her clothes and call Addison, who had the same early midterm, so she knew she wouldn't be out tonight. Instead of sleeping in her own bed, she was going to have to sleep on Addison's couch. To be honest, it was pretty comfortable, but it just wasn't long enough.

Not completely closing the bedroom door behind her, she dropped her bag on the ground and opened her top drawer, about to reach for a pair of fresh underwear as the door to her bedroom clicked closed. Surprised, she jumped and spun to tell whoever was entering that no, this was not the bathroom, when her heart skipped a beat, because she saw familiar blue eyes sparkling back at her, "What are you doing here?"

Arizona gestured to the door she'd just closed, "There's a party."

Lifting a brow, she brought her hands to her hips, "So you came here because of the party?"

Slim fingers reached back and flicked the lock on the door, "Not exactly." In two strides, Arizona was in front of the Latina, roughly grabbing the hem of the long sleeved sweater she was wearing and yanking it over her head before Callie would even register what was happening. She brought her lips to Calliope's ear, "Remember last week?"

Of course she did, because getting Arizona off in the lecture hall had been the highlight of Callie's past few weeks. It was one of the more prominent sexy times in her life, she was sure. With a small smirk on her lips, she replied, "Of course." Then she remembered the blonde's threatening words of revenge, and how she'd made it a point to give Callie teasing touches all week during class. Nothing too obvious, but a lingering hand on her shoulder as she walked past her desk, "accidentally" brushing her hand as she passed back papers… "You know, having sex with me in my bedroom doesn't seem to be that threatening by way of payback."

The blonde simply smiled at her, looping her fingers through the belt loops in her jeans. Before Callie could say anything else, Arizona had spun them both, then thrust her hands forward, backing them with her hips, sending the brunette falling back on to the bed with a surprised gasp. Immediately, Callie felt the length of the blonde pressed against her, grabbing her wrists with one swift hand and pinning them above her head.

Arizona brought her head right next to the Latina's ear and whispered, "I had to be silent, while you got me off in a full lecture hall." Pausing, she dipped her head and bit into the lobe, making those luscious curves she was laying on top of arch into her. "And now, while there are masses of people right outside of your door, I want you to _scream_."

Callie groaned, feeling the blonde's lips reattach themselves to her skin, nipping her teeth a little rougher than usual. God, she already felt like there wasn't enough air in the room, "I won't," she looked at Arizona with defiance, just wanting to know how she would react.

"Is that a challenge?" she questioned, sitting up, shifting so her legs fell on either side of Callie's hips. She watched as Callie bit her lip and nodded, lifting one eyebrow as if to say _bring it_. Then bring it, she would.

Diving back down, she crushed her mouth to Callie's, forcing it open with her tongue in a kiss so rough their teeth clashed. But she didn't stay; instead, she dragged her open mouth to Calliope's neck and her hands sought out the wanting woman's beneath her. She felt the Latina try to intertwine their fingers, and she smirked, instead dragging those caramel digits to the headboard and making them hold steady. "If you let go, I will leave," she warned.

Callie could feel the attitude shift in the blonde on top of her, and she somehow knew that the threat of leaving was not empty. So she wrapped her hands tighter around the bars above and bit her lip, determined to keep quiet as she felt the blonde's hands go to the top of her pants, unbuttoning and dragging the zipper down, then changing her pace and yanking both the pants and underwear down her legs.

Arizona was back to covering her body immediately, her jean covered thigh thrusting against Callie's center, and Callie hissed out a breath, refusing to let out the groan that really wanted to escape; she needed to stay quiet. Then that hot mouth descended to her chest and she clamped her teeth together to stop any sounds that might escape. The blonde, as Callie liked to tease about, had an obsession with her boobs, and _damn_ she really knew what to do to them.

She thanked God her bra was front clasp, because it was expertly flicked open within seconds, and her nipple was sucked into an eager mouth. As teeth closed around it, slashing through her with an intoxicating mix of pleasured pain, she couldn't help the groan that escaped her or the flood of wetness that soaked her, and she managed to ground out, "I'm t-totally going to ruin your pants," she dragged out the last word as the blonde's hand scratched up her side then to pinch her other nipple.

The blonde lifted her head for a moment, realizing just a little too late that she might have wanted to shed her own jeans before starting a rhythm between her leg and Calliope's center. With a shrug, she responded, "They'll wash." With narrowed eyes, she observed Callie's white-knuckle grasp on the headboard and her clenched teeth, "Stop holding back."

Callie shook her head vigorously, now determined to stay quiet. Her efforts were greatly hindered when talented fingers trailed down her torso, making her shudder, and slide over her, teasing her protruding clit. Inhaling through her nose, she bucked into the hand cupping her and couldn't help a whimper come out as she felt Arizona smile into the side of her breast. But a whimper was far from a scream, she reasoned with herself, then that reason scattered as that finger started brushing in a rhythm over her sensitive nub.

By the way Callie's body was quaking under her and how her breath was laboring in and out, Arizona could tell she was already close, so she pulled both hands away, grinning in contentment as Callie let out a frustrated moan. Slowly, she lowered her head back down and flicked her tongue over a still pebbled nipple, waiting a few moments for the Latina's incredible body to calm down, before lowering her hand back to the heated folds below.

Instead of toying with her clit, this time those fingers slipped inside, starting a rapid pace, and Callie's eyes rolled back, and she was back at the edge in no time. Biting her lip so hard, she thought she might draw blood as she felt her walls starts to clench around those amazing fingers… and then they stopped again, pulling out of her body.

An aggravated whine worked itself out of her throat, "Arizona, _please_."

Arizona sunk her teeth into the Latina's shoulder, feeling her grind up into her body, seeking friction, looking for release. She very much wanted to give that to her, because by now her own body was calling for it. Nuzzling her nose into the curve of her neck, she whispered, "You know what you have to do."

She nodded her head enthusiastically, "Okay! Just let me finish!" At once, Arizona's fingers pumped back in, and became more insistent than either of the times before. Callie _could_ _not_ hold on any longer, so, so ready to go over the edge, already feeling the white hot pleasure starting to wash over her. Giving in to the blonde's demands that matched the ones of her own body, she threw her head back into the pillow and a scream ripped out of her throat, "Yes! Ari…zonaaa!"

Slowing her fingers down, continuing to thrust in time with the rhythmic clenching around them, she lowered herself down into the Latina, subconsciously rocking on her naked thigh. Forcing herself down harder, Callie soon started lifting her leg into the blonde, and Arizona bit into the soft skin between the Latina's breasts as she found that relief, her orgasm washing over her gently, like it was a precursor to hold her over until Callie was alert enough to give her something bigger.

Then she sank down onto the warm, soft body below her, resting her chin on Calliope's chest, keeping her eyes on that gorgeous face until brown eyes fluttered open to look at her. She gently pulled her fingers out from inside of her, while Callie let out a slight grunt, then opened her hands to release the headboard she had still been grasping.

As her senses came back to her, Callie questioned, "Are you still wearing your jeans?"

Letting out a laugh, Arizona nodded. "Second time you've made me come while still wearing pants."

Feeling oddly delighted, she smiled, "Please, you're just trying to flatter me."

She was positive Callie didn't need to be told how amazing she was. Rolling off to her side, she dropped her head to Callie's pillow, and became aware of the music that was still blasting outside the door. Stretching, she asked, "I wonder if anyone heard you. You did scream pretty loud."

Feeling a blush work itself up onto her cheeks, she tried to shrug it off, "I'm sure no one could hear over that noise."

"I don't know, Mark was standing pretty close to the door… he might have just gotten an idea of what it means to be in your bed…" she trailed off, meaning for Callie to laugh it off. When she didn't respond, Arizona pushed herself up so she could see the brunette's face, who was blushing an even fiercer shade of red, "You and Mark?"

Callie nodded, and shrugged, trying to brush it off, "It's not… we weren't ever _together_ it was more like, he was there and I needed someone…"

She flopped down, onto her back, squeezing her eyes closed, trying to get images of her – the – hot brunette with _Mark_ out of her mind. It was disgusting; in fact, she might actually be sick. When she opened them, Callie was looking down at her, "I didn't mean to just spring it on you, I mean, we've never talked about past people we've been with, and I didn't really think it would bother you like this –"

Arizona felt her heart leap into her throat and shook her head vehemently in denial, "What? No, it doesn't _bother _me, it's just, um, weird. Yeah, I mean, I don't have to know the other people you've been with. I don't really care."

But Callie could swear she saw jealousy in those shocked blue eyes. Of course, that could always be her wishful thinking, because _she_ still wanted desperately to know who had shared the blonde's past. Chancing it, she dropped her head to rest on the blonde's shoulder, "So… we've been doing this for almost a month. And I think we have great sex, right, that's not just coming from my blissed out brain?"

Grateful that Callie was dropping the subject, she let out a light laugh, "Well, I'm feeling the same way, so I think we can both agree on that. Why?"

"Because we have this great sex, and our conversations come easily, so I was thinking: why don't we combine the two and go out and do something like dinner where we can exercise our fabulous conversation skills, then come back and have great sex?" As she spoke, she slid her hand under Arizona's shirt to stroke her firm stomach.

Arizona reached her hand to touch Callie's, stopping the butterfly light movements that made her stomach flutter with figurative butterflies, whispering, "That sounds suspiciously like a date."

She nodded slowly, splaying her fingers out flat on the smooth skin, "That would be what some cultures might call it, however, we do not have to. We can call it a… yammoe."

The belly under her hand shook with laughter, "Did you just make that word up?"

She tapped her hand, "Hey, that's not the point. And yes. But still. What do you think about possibly going on a yammoe with me?"

Heaving a sigh, Arizona took Callie's hand in hers and lifted it off of herself, placing it on the bed, before she sat up and slid off, "I think... that that's my cue to get going." She couldn't even look back at the brunette, who was still naked and undoubtedly staring at her with big, sad brown eyes, as she leaned down to pull up a throw blanket to cover up that perfect body from any peeping eyes that might try to peer in when she left. But she couldn't resist, as she pulled the blanket all the way up to her neck, meeting those soft lips in a quick kiss, "I'll see you tomorrow." Taking a few steps away, she did glance over her shoulder and she was right, though the look she was receiving was more baffled than sad.

She couldn't rejoin the party now; she'd really only come with Teddy because Owen had invited them and she knew when Teddy had said the address that this was Calliope's apartment. Now, not only did she need a change of clothes, but she felt drained. There was no way she could deny that she felt drawn to the Latina, and sometimes she wished things could be different. She wondered if Joanne had screwed her up for any future prospects in her love life and if she will feel ready to open herself up that way, ever again. If she was able to... she thought Callie might be the type of person she would want.

Shaking her head, she closed the bedroom door behind her. For now, she would make do with what she had going on. This was already progress, and she couldn't force herself to go any farther.

Callie watched intently, her stomach in knots, until that head of wavy blonde hair disappeared and her door clicked shut, muffling the sounds of the party outside. Sighing heavily, she rolled out of bed and texted Addison – _Can I sleep over? Yang through a ridiculously loud party, and I need to sleep for our midterm tomorrow_.

Pulling out clean underwear, a bra, yoga pants, and a tank top, she slipped into the bathroom and took a speedy shower, emerging to find a new text from the redhead, _Come on over_.

Taking her backpack with her, she made the quick commute via greenline to her best friend's elegant Beacon Hill apartment, stewing over her last interaction with Arizona the whole time. Apparently she wasn't doing a good job of hiding it, either, as Addison opened the door and instantly asked, "What's wrong?"

With a sigh, she placed her bag next to Addison's on the table next to the door before trudging over to the plush couch and dropping herself down onto it, as suddenly that bone-tired feeling from earlier returned. "Arizona," was her one word answer.

Addison plunked down next to her, "What did she do now?"

Callie pulled one of the throw pillows into her lap, fiddling with the corner. She knew that in the last few weeks, Addison had slightly come to not think she was stupid for agreeing to have no strings attached sex with a woman she wanted to have strings with, but she didn't really understand. She knew she was better off talking to Mark about such things, but he was off drinking and doing women and god knew what else tonight.

Then again, Addison was always there for her no matter what, and she would never turn her away. With a deep breath, she rolled her eyes, "It wasn't really her, it was me. We had sex tonight, and I just had this moment where I thought… so I asked her on a yammoe and she said no."

The redhead stared at her, "Did you just say "yammoe?""

Callie let out a humorless laugh, "It's a date; don't ask."

"Well, I hate to sound insensitive here, but is the fact that she said no to going out on a date – again – surprising to you?" Addison asked, trying to get a full grasp of the situation.

"No," she answered right away, then shook her head, "Yes. She just doesn't add up, you know? She does things like have her stupid rules where she still won't spend the night with me and she won't go on a date with me, but then she does other things that are so sweet. Like, she talks to her parents every day on the phone. And her apartment is painted in pastels; she has butterflies decorating her room. What kind of girl talks to her mom and dad daily and lives in an Easter egg, but is afraid to commit to even casually dating?" she tried to make reason of the enigma she was coming to know of Arizona Robbins, but the more she thought about it all, the more it didn't make sense to her.

Everything she learned about the blonde pointed to her truly being a caring, perky person. Everything except for the way she was when they were together. Which wasn't even the whole truth, because when they were _together_, Arizona was sweet. Even tonight, when she had still had her arms around Callie after they both came, how she would rest her head against Callie, how she would nuzzle into her. She _felt_ like they should be together… they just weren't.

Addison reached out and took her friend's hand, "I don't know what to tell you, Cal, except that she probably has her reasons for being the way she is. If one thing about your personality was different, you might be the same way, after all the crap that's happened to you."

She thought about her experiences the last two years with everyone, with George and Erica and her parents… but somehow, all of that didn't make her want to be by herself; it made her want to find someone even more. And despite her efforts, she felt like she could find what she was looking for in Arizona.

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**Seriously, thank you so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming :) ! You guys who read this are the best. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	7. Green Eyed Monster

This was so wrong. It was incredibly, incredibly wrong. If Dr. Webber ever found out… she shuddered to think about it. Then she shuddered for an entirely different reason.

Her hands flattened against the carpeted floor and tried in vain to hold on to something – anything – as gifted fingers pumped in and out of her body. "Harder," she gasped out, and when her demand was complied with, a moan tore from the back of her throat and her hands went to grip raven locks as Calliope's tongue lapped at her nipple. Her hips rode the hand between her legs at a rapid pace, and when those fingers bent inside of her finding _that spot_, her entire world felt like it compressed into itself then fractured outward, "Fuck! Fuck! –"

Her screams were tapered off into whimpers as plump lips pressed against hers. After what must have been some of the longest moments of her life, her body came down from its high, her hands falling limply to her sides. And she realized that the lips still against hers were smiling.

Feeling embarrassment start to seep in, she covered her reddening cheeks with her hands and closed her eyes against the mirth in Callie's, "Oh my god. Please tell me we didn't just have sex in Dr. Webber's office."

Callie, trying to assuage some of the blonde's nerves, reached over and found a large USMC sweatshirt that she'd torn off the TA about a half hour ago, then brought it to cover up the perky boobs she'd just had her mouth on. Laughing, she tugged a sleeve down to hang over her core.

Arizona somehow managed to join in her laughter, "This doesn't really help." With a sigh, she sat up and started to pull on her pink boy shorts, then re-clasped her bra. While she was turned to retrieve and pull on her jeans that had been thrown over Webber's desk chair, she turned to see that Callie had already pulled on her own clothes. "I really don't think that this is what he had in mind when he gave me a key to his office."

"Probably not," Callie agreed, "But, to be fair, I didn't have this in mind when I came to see you in the office."

Surprised, she frowned, "No?"

"Um, nope. I actually had – have – a question for you," Callie hedged, feeling awkward and not entirely sure she even wanted to ask.

Watching as the Latina drew her hand through her hair, Arizona recognized the nerves there and silently begged for Callie to _not_ be asking her on a date again. It had been three weeks since she'd last asked and they'd gotten back to that fun place, and Arizona _liked_ that place. She liked having mind-blowing sex regularly, but even more than that, she liked Callie. She liked the way she burrowed her head against her shoulder and she liked the fruity smell of her shampoo that would linger in the air even after she was gone. She liked her laugh and her megawatt smile.

And even just admitting that to herself was frightening and foreign. She didn't leave Baltimore for Boston with the intention of falling for someone. In fact, it had been her intention to _avoid_ emotional entanglements here. So this, whatever she was feeling for the Latina, had to be handled with caution.

Cautiously, she deliberately kept her tone light, "What's up?"

But she was unprepared for the response she got from Callie, "I wanted to know what I should do about dating other people. I mean, because I know _you_ don't want to do anything serious with me, but I didn't know if that meant I was supposed to not go out with anyone else…?"

For a reason she desperately did not want to explore, her stomach sank. She didn't know what was worse – Callie asking her on a date or Callie asking her if it was okay to go on one with someone else. Masking the unhappiness that had suddenly made her stomach clench, she fixed on a bright smile. She wasn't sure if her cheeks hurt because she was forcing herself to smile _too_ brightly or if it was because it just hurt to smile at all, "Oh! That's fine. Yeah, you can go out with anyone you want."

Those brown eyes stared at her, narrowed, for a few seconds before she released a sigh and forced her own smile, "All right."

Arizona watched as Callie reached for the backpack she'd dropped on the ground and she knew she was about to leave. What she meant to say was "Bye, see you in class Monday" or something along those lines, but what came out was, "Why? Did someone ask you out?"

Callie nodded, "Uh, yeah. Natalie."

"Natalie… Davis? Like from class?" She could picture her perfectly, with her long chestnut brown hair that was always perfectly straightened and looked like she was from a commercial for promoting hair products, a light brushing of freckles across the bridge of her nose… just fucking adorable.

She stood up straight, fiddling with the strap of the bag as she pulled it over shoulder and "hmm"d in agreement, "She wants to go out tomorrow night, but I didn't know what to tell her, because I had to talk to you. But now I'll just text her to ask where to meet. Because that's what you want me to do. Right?"

What she wanted was to erase the last two minutes and go back to lying naked on the floor, in their sexy little bubble, "Of course. That's… awesome. Super. I hope you have a good time."

"Okay. Well, talking to the girl who I just had sex with about my date with someone else is a little weird, even for me, and I've experienced some pretty uncomfortable situations before. So. I'm just going to leave now," She managed an awkward wave, as her thumb was still hooked around the strap of her book bag, before she turned and left without looking back.

Arizona sank back into the expensive desk chair Dr. Webber had invested in and squeezed her eyes tightly closed. Calliope was free to date whomsoever she desired. Arizona had already turned her down more than once and the Latina deserved to be free to play the field.

Trying to push the subject matter out of her mind, she stared blankly at the computer program she'd been running almost an hour ago, before Callie had stopped in. Dr. Webber was going to be out for the next class period due to flying across the country for Thanksgiving with his wife's family, but he didn't want to cancel class, so he had trusted Arizona with the keys to his office so she could use the program he had on his desktop to create the next lab for class on Monday.

And look at where that trust he'd put in her had gotten him: she'd had sex right on _Dr. Webber's office floor_. That led to her finding out that Callie was going on a stupid date with someone else. _I don't care_, she reminded herself.

Pushing in her ear buds, and turning on her iPod, she looked at the computer in front of her and told herself that this was what she needed to concentrate. Not Calliope Torres. She was here because she wanted to get away from her complicated love life and stupid feelings, to go to the best medical school in the country. And that meant running the lab on Monday like a boss.

She only managed to get a few more steps done before the door to the office opened once more, and she whipped her head up. Feeling mildly disappointed, she realized it was just Teddy. Sinking back into her chair, she offered a wave, "Hey."

The taller woman responded in kind as she shut the door, "You look like something crawled up your butt and died there," she told her friend, laughing as Arizona's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Well, you do. What's going on?"

She shrugged and made herself sit up straight once again, "Nothing."

Teddy rolled her eyes, "So you're one of those girls? Who clearly has something going on, but when someone asks, you're all 'everything's fine'?"

Because she felt like she generally wasn't one of those girls – she wasn't shy about saying what she felt usually, she sighed, "Nothing is _wrong_ exactly, it's…"

"Callie," Teddy filled in, knowingly, as she made her way over to sit on the side of the desk.

"Fine, yes. She's going on a date. I mean, we just had sex and while we're still getting dressed from sex, she asks me what the whole policy is on dating other people. That's weird, right?" Arizona asked, seeking a reason for the unpleasant heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Teddy shrugged, "In all fairness, when else would Callie be able to ask you, considering you guys are only together when you have sex?"

"Shut up," now, she lost her façade and crossed her arms, pouting slightly.

Teddy gasped and jabbed a finger at her, poking her in the stomach repeatedly, "You're jealous! Little miss no-strings-this-doesn't-mean-anything is jealous! Nothing emotional, I have my rules Robbins is over here feeling jealous."

Slapping the hands away, she protested, "I am not! It's just… who goes on a date with someone when they're already having regular sex with someone else? Don't you think it was weird that Calliope asked me about it, when she knows that we were super casual?"

"Um, no, because Callie obviously was asking you because she wanted to give you a chance to say you didn't want her to go out with someone else and tell her that it would make you jealous. But you _didn't_ and now you have no one else to blame for this unhappiness except for yourself," the darker blonde nodded in an authoritative manner.

Arizona rolled her eyes and hated that she knew Teddy was right, "Well, whatever, fine. I'm… jealous. A little bit. But it's not just that easy. It's not as simple as you make it seem to just start dating someone," she looked down and fiddled with her fingers for a moment, thinking, once more, about Joanne, as she always did when she started to think maybe it would be nice to forgo the rules.

"Sure it is. You just tell Callie: hey, so we've been fucking now for quite some time and I think it might be fun if we go out on a yam-moo sometime," she reached to the bag of grapes Arizona had brought with her earlier and left sitting on the desk, popping one into her mouth, "Bada-bing, bada-boom, you've got a date."

She laughed, "It's a yammoe," she corrected, remembering Callie's made up word that she'd used to propose a date the last time she'd asked.

Teddy watched the smile slowly fall off her friend's face, then slapped her hands against her thighs, as she spotted something a few feet away that made her eyes light up, "I know what will make you feel better – not that you're down in the dumps or anything."

Before Arizona could even ask, she followed Teddy's gaze, and landed on the filing cabinet, labeled "Student Files." Teddy was already hopping to her feet when Arizona grabbed for her wrist, stopping her, whispering, "Theodora! We can't go in there!"

She whispered back, "Why not? The only other person who could get into this office right now is Webber, and he's out of state. Come on! You know you want to!" Pulling her arm out of the sitting woman's grasp, she theatrically crept over to the cabinet.

"Stop!" She never thought of herself as irresponsible, and she'd always had a spotless record when it came to supervisors, and in one fell swoop, she'd had sex in her boss' office and was about to look at personal information... but Teddy was already pulling open the drawer.

Watching as the other woman took out an armful of files and sunk to her knees to place them on the ground, she felt her heart race and she desperately wanted to know what was in those files. Particularly, one specific file… _Self-control, Arizona! Express some_. Her hands gripped the arms of the chair, and she had herself firmly sticking there… until Teddy held one up in the air and announced in a sing-song voice, "Look what we have here, a wealth of information all about one Miss Calliope Iph-Iphi-Iphigeblahblah Torres…" she trailed off and dangled the file from between her fingers, shaking it in Arizona's direction.

Giving in, she snapped and jumped out of the chair, sprinting across the room and landing in front of Teddy, bouncing up and down, "Open it!"

Instead, Teddy held the file above her head, and made her voice into a high-pitch, "Oh, _Calliope_, your paper was just so well written. Take me to bed! I need you to make me unafraid of love!"

Arizona fell back to rock on the balls of her feet, "I do not sound like that! And I have never said anything remotely like that. _And_ I don't need Calliope for anything." She had a big problem with the word need. Need signified dependence and reliance and to say that you needed another person was to say that you _had_ to have them in your life. She had "need" once, and she didn't ever want to feel like her happiness could be dependent on another person ever again.

Sensing the slight shift in emotions, Teddy made herself more serious, "Maybe not. But you're curious about her. You _want_ this file."

Well, now she couldn't ask for it. It would just be embarrassing… then Teddy started to reach behind herself to put the manila folder on the floor out of Arizona's grasp, and she spotted her moment, leaping forward and knocking Teddy to the side, "Give it!"

When it was in her hands, she carefully placed it on the ground and flipped it open, not wanting there to be any evidence of it having been seen more than Dr. Webber might have looked at it himself. Teddy was the one to take hold of the top sheet of paper, "It's just her high school transcripts. She went to Gulliver Academy in Miami… sounds fancy."

She giggled at the way Teddy held her head high and put her nose in the air, sniffing like a snob as the referenced the private school, muttering, "I went to school on various marine bases."

"I went to public school in Colorado," Teddy murmured back, scanning her eyes over the rest of the sheet, "Graduated in the top three percent of her class with a focus in Biomedical Studies… I didn't even know high schools had specialty programs. Where the heck were my rich parents when I was growing up?"

So Calliope was smart… she already knew that. Reaching for the next set of papers, she picked up her undergrad transcript, "Graduated, again in the top three percent from Harvard University, pre-med… I already knew this. Well, not the top three percent, but the other stuff."

"But did you know… this?" Teddy held up a singular sheet of paper with Callie's school ID picture emblazoned on the top – her personal information. The hand holding the paper was pointing specifically to the phone number printed under the name.

She rolled her eyes, expecting something bigger – better – than that, "No, we haven't exchanged cell numbers because –"

She got an even bigger eye roll in response, "Because it makes things too personal. Arizona… I don't know your middle name… Robbins, we are digging through her personal file in a professor's office after hours. I think you've hit the level of personal required to get her number and shoot her a text or two. Not to mention that whole thing where you guys have had sex many times."

Arizona's head was yelling at her to tell Teddy to put the paper down and forget about it. Clearly, she was getting too emotionally attached as it was. However, as if she had no control over her own hands, she was pulling her phone out of her back pocket and leaning forward to read the small numbers on the paper, copying them into her contacts. With hesitation – this was the first woman's phone number whom she was having sex with that she was entering into her phone in years – her thumb was paused over the save button.

Then Teddy took away her hesitation and swiped the phone, hitting a few buttons, then stuffed it back into her hands. Arizona looked down and saw that Teddy had saved the contact as _CalliopeXOXO3_ and burst out laughing, "This is ridiculous. Even in high school, I didn't have my girlfriend's name saved like this!"

Teddy lifted a brow and smirked, "Your girlfriend, huh?"

Feeling her cheeks heat with a blush, she shook her head, "You know that what I meant."

"I think what you meant was that subconsciously you want Callie to be your girlfriend but you're too much of a chicken shit to tell her that because of some crappy mystery experience you had when you were younger," she said, slowly closing Callie's file.

Annoyed, Arizona swiped over the stupid name in her phone and spoke quietly, "You really don't know what experiences I had, all right? I mean, I can take your teasing about it to a point, but… even just putting Callie's number in my phone and admitting that I'm jealous over her date is a lot for me, okay?"

Sobering up from her teasing mood, she reached out and put a hand on the lighter blonde's shoulder, "I get you. I will stop with pushing Callie and relationships down your throat. Relationships suck, anyway. The one guy I stare at I _feel_ stares back at me but he's with some other girl who I can't even bring myself to hate. You know what? Let's put these files back. You were right; it was a bad idea to go through them."

One of them caught her eye as Teddy gathered them up and she reached for it, plucking it out of the pile, "Just a second." The printed name across the top read Natalie Davis. Flipping it open, she looked at her personal info page.

Seeing the intense stare, Teddy peered over, "Oh, she's pretty. Potential possible lady lover?"

"Yeah… for Calliope," she answered, narrowing her eyes at the bright smile shining back at her from the paper.

Now the taller blonde took more of an interest, "Look at her, she probably doesn't know a right boob from a left."

She glanced sideways at her friend, a laugh bubbling up on her lips, "What?"

Teddy shrugged, "I don't know, I was trying to insult her using lesbian things."

"Good try for a straight girl… I think. Just don't do it again," she chuckled and looked back down, flipping quickly through her papers.

Teddy stopped her, jamming her finger toward the paper, "She's on the verge of getting kicked out of the program! Look at her GPA."

Arizona did look, and indeed, Natalie wasn't doing that well. Granted, she already knew that from being the one grading several of her assignments. She snapped the closed, making the papers whistle with the force, "We shouldn't be looking at these."

"No, we shouldn't," Teddy agreed with a sigh, "But it was fun while it lasted, before any guilt kicked in."

Arizona stood in front of the filing cabinet, adjusting and readjusting all of the folders inside to make sure that they were perfectly arranged. As she pushed the drawer shut, Teddy stretched, "You know, I think this is a good night to get totally wasted and make fun of romantic comedies."

She shook her head, "No, I should really stay here and actually finish the lab the class is going to do on Monday."

"Are you sure? I mean, you've got all weekend to get the lab done…" she trailed off, leaving the invitation open ended.

But she knew what she had to get done; she'd already don't enough unprofessional things for one night, "I'm positive."

"All right, I'll talk to you later," the taller woman waved and walked out of the office, leaving Arizona on her way back to the desk she'd been sitting at, in the same weird mood that she'd been feeling before her friend came in.

Sitting back down, she pulled out her phone. She really should just delete Callie's number. Seeing the contact name again, she shook her head; at the very least _that_ had to be changed. However, when she tried to hit 'edit' her phone locked and demanded a passcode. Confused, she tried it once more, before she texted Teddy,** How do I unlock the code to change Callie's name in my phone?!**

The response she got came only seconds later, _Darn, I forgot._

**Teddy!** She sent back, unable to respond farther, because she didn't know if she wanted to laugh or scream.

Putting her phone back away, she shrugged. It wasn't like anyone else would see it; and she would get the passcode out of her friend eventually. For now, she needed to focus on getting this lab done and out of the way.

As the computer screen glared brightly back at her, she shook her head; she just could _not_ focus at all tonight. Thinking of the last hour and a half, she just found herself feeling… frustrated. She was frustrated with Teddy for putting that stupid name in her phone and for making her admit that she was jealous, she was annoyed at Callie for making her feel jealous, and, most of all, she was angry with herself for feeling that way at all when she didn't want to.

Unable to stop herself, her hand reached out and grabbed at her phone again, muttering nonsensical words to herself as she pulled up Calliope's information again. Since coming to this city almost three months ago, her response to feeling frustrated was to hook up with Callie. Sure, they might have already done so pretty recently, but she couldn't imagine Callie had any other big plans for the night.

**Why, hello there. So I know we just saw each other, but I was wondering if you were available for some great sex tonight?** She sent the message and sat back, drumming her fingers on the edge of the desk waiting for a reply. What if Callie was one of those people who didn't answer a text right away? That would –

Her phone buzzed back within seconds, _Who is this?_

For some inexplicable reason, Arizona had temporarily forgotten that Callie didn't actually have her number yet. Tapping her fingers on the touchscreen she sent back, **Calliope, how many people do you have asking you if you're available for great sex? Furthermore, how many people have you just had it with?**

This time, the response was immediate, _Welllll, excuse me Miss Robbins, but the last time I checked, you weren't interested in texting me. How did you get my number?_

**I have my ways…** There was no way she was telling her she'd gone through her personal file. **So what do you say about tonight?**

While she waited for a response – frowning, she realized she was waiting longer on this text than on the last couple – she pumped herself up for the idea. It would work out perfectly – she would take Callie to bed for the night, either of their apartments, it didn't matter – and lock her in there for hours. She'd show her such an earth shatteringly amazing time that Calliope wouldn't even go looking for other prospects.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up in an instant, already about to pack up all of her things, when she opened the message. _Sorry, but Natalie asked me if I wanted to get drinks tonight as a prelude to tomorrow's dinner…_

Stupid Natalie. She was vagina-blocking her already, and she and Callie hadn't even gone on a date yet, **No problem, I'm sure I can find another way to spend my night ;) **

Callie texted back pretty quickly, _I'm sure you can_.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thanks to all who already do, and for reading!**


	8. Torture

"I swear. It was the first day of Pathology last January; you walked in through the doorway and you sat in the desk next to mine. Don't you remember me tripping over my feet the first day of lab? I didn't think anyone forgot that!" Natalie threw her head back and laughed, a light, tinkling kind of laugh.

Callie _did_ remember the spill the girl with the chestnut hair sitting on front of her took almost a year ago. But, "I don't understand what that has to do with me," she tried to make sense of the story she was being told.

Patiently, Natalie sat forward, and drew out a little map with her hand on the table between them, "When we had to get in lab groups, Dr. Morrison told everyone to find their partner. I had my eyes on you since the moment you walked into the door," she pointed to "the door" which was in the direction of Callie's cup. "Then you were one of the first people to sit at a lab table," the finger traced over to the salt shaker, which was apparently Callie's lab table, "I jumped up from my desk and was determined that you were going to be my lab partner." She sighed and shook her head lightly, picking up her fork, "Now, this is me, practically running over to you," she slid the fork, fast, over to the salt shaker. "However, I neglected to look where I was going, and crashed right into that TA, who'd been carrying the entire box of goggles we were supposed to be wearing, and went flying to the ground." She dropped the fork dramatically after clapping it into the spoon. "When I recovered, you had already found a partner."

Now, she laughed, too, "I just can't believe that fall was because of me."

"Believe me, I wish one of the most embarrassing moments of my life had more symbolism or meaning behind it… however, it was just the case of falling for the smile of a pretty girl," she fished with a wink.

Callie looked down at their now-empty dinner plates, wrapped her hands around the warm cup of coffee, then looked up to flash that grin, "You mean… this smile?"

She'd been intending to get a laugh but Natalie's eyes were more reverent with a ghost of a small smile around her lips, "That smile indeed."

Clearing her throat to get them out of the small conversation drop, she asked, "So why are we here at dinner now, almost a year later?"

Natalie grasped her hands together, "That would be because I knew that you'd just gotten out of a bad relationship – with a man. I didn't even think there was a chance you were into girls. What are the odds that someone totally hot and smart was gay and in the same class as another totally hot and smart chick?" She finished with a smirk, gesturing towards herself.

She couldn't help her mind from wandering to Arizona. Totally hot and totally smart Arizona, who was the TA in their class. Nodding her head slowly, she muttered, "What are the odds?" _Callie you are on a date right now. No more Arizona_, she reprimanded herself, and asked, "So what tipped you off that I played for both teams?"

Humor danced in Natalie's eyes, "Actually, it was fairly recently in Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis… Arizona – the TA – was leaning over the front desk reaching for something in her bag. I noticed that she had a particularly nice butt, and then I noticed that you were noticing as well. So I took a chance and asked you out, and here we are."

She was sure this was some kind of twisted joke played on her by the universe. The girl she was on a date with noticed her because she was staring at her sex… whatever Arizona was to her's ass. Then she found it weirdly amusing that Natalie was clarifying to her who Arizona was – "_Arizona – the TA_." Without realizing it, she let out a small laugh.

"What? I wasn't off, was I? She has a nice butt, and you were so looking!" She defended.

But the more she thought about it, the harder she laughed. Her _date_ was telling her that _Arizona_ had a nice ass. She had firsthand knowledge of the fact; literal firsthand knowledge. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but…" she trailed off. It wasn't like she could just tell her that she and Arizona regularly hooked up, and she didn't exactly know what to say by way of explanation, "Arizona and I are kind of… friends… she does have a nice butt though."

Natalie looked confused, "You two are friends?"

Well, not exactly. They were on a texting level of friendliness, now, though… seeing no other way to respond she nodded, "Yeah, why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, it just seems like she… well, she's your friend so I'm not going to say anything."

Curiosity peaked, Callie drained the last sip of her mug of coffee, "No, no, tell me. It's okay, I won't be offended."

Natalie was still hesitant, "It's just that she always seems kind of distant? Not really _cold_, just… I don't know… anyway. But if you're friends with her, there must be something good," she finished brightly.

She nodded in agreement, albeit somewhat questioningly; she did know Arizona, as a person, was sweet. She saw it in the times she interacted with her friends and with her parents. She felt it in the rare times when she let her guard down with Callie. But her guarding walls were just built up so damn high… she came back to herself when the check was put down on the edge of the table, and they both reached for it, their hands running into each other's.

Callie let hers fall first, but not before Natalie lightly traced her index finger over the back of Callie's palm. "I can pick it up," she volunteered.

Waving her off, Natalie dug around in her purse, emerging with a wallet, "Don't be ridiculous, I asked you out for dinner."

She insisted, "But you paid for drinks last night. It's only fair."

"How about we split it?"

When the bill was taken care of, they both stood and slipped on their jackets. It was Boston the weekend before Thanksgiving and the weather was finally starting to take on its infamous New England chill. They'd walked to the restaurant, a nice little place within a reasonable distance to both of their apartments, which they found out last night were very close to one another's.

Callie started back in the direction they'd come from, freezing up just slightly as Natalie's slim hand reached out and took a hold of hers, interlacing their fingers, and making her stride shorter, "Some of us don't have such long legs," she teased.

So she walked a little bit slower than was her preferred pace and tried to make herself feel some excitement or anything, really, as Natalie's soft thumb would swipe over her knuckles. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed the other brunette's company, because she had. She'd been real and open, and Callie hadn't once had to decipher how she was feeling or if she was saying what she actually meant.

The evening had been pleasant; she just wondered if that was enough. Natalie's voice brought her out of her thoughts, "Callie… is that short for anything? I've been thinking about it for a while, but I can't really think of a name that it would stand for."

She let out a laugh, "Yes, it's short for something, but it's a terrible something."

"Tell me!" the short, slight woman exclaimed, "Come on. You know you want to."

Actually, she didn't. She wasn't one of those people who said, "Oh my god, I totally failed that test" unless she really did fail that test. When she said she didn't like people using her full name, she meant that she did not like people saying her full name. Then again, she'd stopped correcting Arizona's use of it lately. Sometimes, a correction would automatically slip out, but, for some reason, the way the blonde would say it made Callie shiver. Trying it out, she tugged Natalie to a stop so she could look at her seriously, "This is a confidential matter, and I'm only telling you because I trust you…" dipping her voice to a whisper, she said, "Calliope."

Natalie wrinkled her nose, "Calliope? That's kind of odd. I would prefer Callie if I were you, too."

Callie sighed; she was right. Hearing the name fall from a different set of lips in a different voice did not make her feel like the way she did when Arizona said it. And she felt that same defensive feeling she used to feel in elementary school, when she'd gotten made fun of by children who didn't know anything, "It's from Greek mythology; Calliope was a goddess, the muse of music, dance, and poetry. She was said to inspire Homer." When she got a remorseful, blank look, she added on, "You know, like from _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_."

Natalie ducked her head, "Oh, right. Sorry, science and math were much more my thing; literature and history, not so much."

Callie shrugged, "I get it. I only really liked mythology because my mother teaches it at the University of Miami. That's why she chose my name, and my sister Aria, who was a beautiful mortal woman, that made the Greek god Apollo – god of music – fall in love with her…" she trailed off, though she could go on about the subject, when she saw the look on Natalie's face, "And this is completely boring to you."

First, she shook her head, "No, no… well, a little, but I like hearing you talk about it."

"Why don't we talk about something else where you won't be bored?" She suggested and lightly swung their hands between them.

Enthusiastic, she hopped a little in her next step, "How about… where are you from?"

"Miami," she responded, closing her eyes and tipping her head back, letting out a dreamy sigh as the scenery flooded her mind, "It's perfect there. Sunny skies and beaches; January is the coldest time of year and even then it only reaches about sixty degrees. _Nothing_ like this place. What about you?"

"Not nearly as far away as you; New Hampshire. Where the weather is basically the same, but it always feels like there's more snow. I can't really complain though; I love it," she finished and tilted her head up to the sky, "Too bad it's not really going to start until after Christmas."

Callie didn't quite agree, and slowly, their walk came to a stop as they reached outside of her apartment. She recognized the look that Natalie was giving her through nearly-batting eyelashes. The shorter brunette leaned in and got up on her tiptoes, and Callie dipped her head, connecting their lips. It was a soft kiss and Natalie's lips felt nice against hers. But that was just the thing. They felt _nice_. A pleasant kiss to end their pleasant evening.

And it did nothing to get her going. Nothing like a brush of a certain blonde's lips could do, getting her blood pumping, exhilaration rushing her body. Disappointed, she pulled back.

Apparently, the kiss did for Natalie what it didn't do for Callie, as her eyes fluttered open and she sent an almost shy grin at her, "Do you maybe want to go upstairs?"

All Callie could think of as those blue eyes stared up at her was that they weren't like Arizona's, whose were sparkling sapphire colored, with lighter, powder blue flecks inward toward the pupil, shining like the sky. They just didn't have that glint in them… something was missing. "I – I can't."

Natalie backpedaled, a blush spreading up her chest and the lobes of her ears, "Right, it's too early. I didn't mean –"

Callie interrupted, "It's not that. I like you, and I had a good time. It's just that there's someone else, who I'm kind of hung up on right now. And it wouldn't be fair of me to lead you on or anything."

Rocking back and forth gently on her feet, she sighed, "Well, I gave it my best shot. Who knows, when you're over this hang up, maybe I'll still be available. You have my number."

She smiled at her, "Thanks. For understanding."

Giving her a little wave, she reached for the door to the apartment building, until Natalie's voice stopped her, "It's Arizona the TA, isn't it?"

Her heart skipped a beat and she spun around, "What? Why would you say that?"

Natalie shrugged with a sad smile, "Back at the restaurant, you kind of… lit up when she was mentioned. And you do look at her a lot. _A lot_. She looks at you, too. Are you two, like, a thing?"

Heaving a sigh so heavy her shoulders slunk down with it, she shook her head, "No. Kind of, but not really. Not a thing enough that she gave me permission to go out and date other people."

"That's harsh," she smaller woman tucked her hands inside her jean pockets, "But I guess you can't help who you have feelings for."

Feeling a sad smile, she shrugged, "I suppose not."

"Okay, well... see you Monday," she offered a small wave and walked away, her shoulders slumping but Callie wasn't sure if it was from defeat or the cold weather.

"Bye," she called after her, and wanted to want to watch her hips sway as she walked away. But she just didn't have that urge.

Annoyed with herself for not being able to forget Arizona Robbins for the whole night, she trudged up the stairs. Trying to dig out her keys, she nearly jumped a foot into the air as Mark's voice appeared over her shoulder, "How was the date?"

Yelping, then holding a hand over her racing heart, she smacked him in the shoulder, "Mark! Don't sneak up on me! And it was sucky, thanks for asking," she grunted out, opening her door and letting him follow her in.

"Why? Natalie was a dud? She doesn't look like she would be a dud," he separated from her and went to the fridge, pulling out two bottles of beer.

Dropping down to the couch, she lolled her head back, "No, she wasn't the dud; I was."

"Don't tell me this is about blondie," he carried a beer toward her, handing it off and folding himself onto the couch next to her.

"Obviously this is about Arizona. Why couldn't I just let her go for one night? I tried so hard just to focus on Natalie, and I still kept thinking about her; even Natalie noticed!" As if on cue, her phone buzzed from her pocket. Pulling it out, her heart started to beat faster just by seeing the TA's name on the screen. _This_ was what she was missing with Natalie, "It's her now."

The message read** How was your dinner?**

She was going to text back when Mark pulled the phone from her grasp, and held it above her head, "Leave this to me," he ordered, his thumbs hitting the buttons and typing a message, hitting send before he threw it back in her lap.

_It's going great, thanks. See you in class._

"It's going great? It's over; and it was going… mediocrely when it happened. And see you in class? That's two days from now, and now you've ruined my chances of having sex this weekend!" She gave him another swat to the arm.

"Hey, stop hitting me!" After taking a swig from his bottle, he questioned, "Does anyone know women like I know women? No. You make her think the date is still going on, that you're having a great time with another girl. Such a great time that you don't even have the time or inclination to see her until class, and boom. You've got her right where you want her."

Doubtful, she looked at him, then back down to her phone as it buzzed again, **Good for you, Calliope. See you then.**

After showing him the text, she managed to wiggle enough to turn in the couch and stick her feet onto his lap, "Right where I want her, huh?" she asked Mark, who managed to look sheepish.

He took her phone, "Damn right, right where you want her. This text just screams, I care but I'm trying damn hard to be above it all."

"I don't know, Mark," She wanted to believe him; she wanted to think that Arizona was jealous and that she didn't really want Callie seeing other people. She thought, sometimes, that she would see snippets of the blonde feeling not totally indifferent toward her. Then, other times, she felt the complete opposite.

Reaching down, he gave her foot a quick one-handed massage, "Just wait until Monday. You'll see."

* * *

She took a deep breath and felt excitement zip through her, momentarily making her hands shake before she reached for the handle of the classroom door. Today, there was no Dr. Webber. It was just her, leading the class. Quickly, she stepped into the class and smiled brightly at everyone, "Good morning! Since Dr. Webber will be out today, he instructed me to run the lab he talked to you all about last week. So, if everyone wants to get with a partner, I'll meet with all of the groups at the lab tables."

As everyone stood and went to the lab stations in the back of the room, she dug out the papers she'd managed to make over the last few days while spending a great deal of time thinking about Calliope's date. In the end, she rationally concluded that Latina could date whomever she wanted; they just had to talk about some ground rules.

Callie settled at her usual lab station after gathering the materials needed from the adjoining supplies room, when she heard Natalie's voice next to her, "Can I be your partner today?"

Surprised, she looked up, "Well, Mark usually is…" she trailed off when she saw her friend wink exaggeratedly and give her a thumbs up from the next station over, "But I suppose he's found someone else to work with today."

The slight woman grinned and slid forward to sit in the stool, "Great. I'm finally working with you in lab and I don't even have to run into anyone to get it."

Giving her a smile back, she started to say, "I'm glad you're not upset from Friday night, I –"

She was interrupted by Arizona's voice cutting in from next to them, "All right, that's enough personal conversation; time to focus on the lab."

Looking up, she was stunned to see the glaring of Arizona's eyes down at them; never before had she seen this kind of anger from the blonde. Natalie spoke from the other side of her, "We were about to start, just going through the materials first."

"Maybe you should concentrate on that instead of your personal lives," was the TA's icy response, her hands on her hips. Someone a few tables down caught her eye by raising her hand, and Arizona gave them – more Natalie than anything – the evil eye before moving down to deal with the other student.

Confused, Callie stared after her for a few seconds, seeing how Arizona's face was now in an easy smile as she dealt with the other students in the class. It was Natalie's fingers tapping on the desk that drew her attention back, "Sooo, I thought you said that you two _aren't_ a thing?"

"I did, we aren't," she confirmed, "I have no idea what that was about."

"That was about TA Arizona being wicked annoyed that we went on a date and are subsequently lab partners. I think she might just want to slice my head off with this scalpel," she managed out a small chuckle, though she looked a little paler than she had before.

Callie let out a snort of laughter, "Trust me; Arizona couldn't care less who I'm dating. You should have seen the way she reacted when I told her you asked me out," she scowled at the thought of the smile Arizona had worn.

Natalie's eyes zipped over to where Arizona was standing, "Um, trust _me_ when I tell you, that's the look of jealousy on her face."

Callie turned her head to the front of the class where the blonde was staring at the two of them. Then she jumped as she felt Natalie's hand on her leg, "Um, what are you doing?" she whispered, not wanting to draw attention from the other lab groups.

A hot breath was on her ear, "Just look. See how her hands are clutching that paper? How tense she is in the shoulders? Yeah, that's jealousy right there."

Natalie was right; Arizona's posture was drawn tight and her knuckles were white with their tight grip. But that didn't add up to the way she acted when they were together. Making herself stop looking toward the front, she lifted the other woman's hand off her leg and moved her stool a little bit farther away, "We should focus on the lab."

While they worked, Arizona circulated, answering questions, making corrections and comments. Their physical lab didn't take very long, and it was mostly observing mycoplasma with the microscope; it was the questions Arizona had created for them to answer that were difficult. But Callie enjoyed them; she liked a challenge. Natalie, she found, wasn't the greatest lab partner. She wasn't sure if it was just because she was used to working with Mark and they were so in sync and on the same level that being with someone else was throwing her off, but it slowed them down.

Everyone else had already filed out by the time Callie had written the answer to their second to last question, while Natalie packed up the material they'd used and started to wipe down the table. Just as the Latina looked up, the sparkling blue eyes – no longer glaring at her – were looking down at her paper.

Then those eyes did glare, as Natalie returned from the supply room. Her steps faltered as she saw that those blue eyes were now on her and were indeed very angry. Natalie checked the time on the wall behind Arizona's head, then came to a stop right behind Callie, her body leaning in just a little too close than was casual, "What? We still have twenty minutes before the lab deadline is done."

Even Callie didn't understand the clear cut anger written all over the TA's face as she stared down the other woman; this wasn't something as simple as possessiveness, of that much she was sure. Tilted her head to the side and tapped her finger against the last question on their lab, "Natalie, what's the answer to this?"

The blue eyed brunette's eyes widened as she looked at the paper, "I – uh, well…"

Feeling bad for her obviously struggling lab partner, Callie scanned her eyes over it and opened her mouth to answer, "The epithelial cells –"

She was cut off as Arizona shook her head, her eyes softening just a little bit at the Latina, "I don't want you to answer; I want Natalie to."

But Natalie just stared helplessly at the question before letting out a stream of nervous laughter, "I didn't really get that far in the reading last night… I meant to finish the chapter, I was just so tired."

Callie reread the question, then looked at her, "This was from last week's reading," she said quietly.

Arizona reached down and lifted the packet from the table, "Natalie, it's not Calliope's responsibility to do this entire lab; that's the reason you work in pairs. I expect you to write up the report for this lab by yourself. Take the Thanksgiving break to catch up on your reading. If you have any questions about it, you can always reach me by email."

As the blonde turned her back on them to collect other group's papers, Callie turned to look at Natalie in confusion, "You haven't done the reading since last week?"

She packed up the rest of her stuff, looking embarrassed, "I've just… I've been really far behind in a few of my classes. It's been difficult to catch up. Not a big deal. I'll do the lab report; it will be flawless, I promise." Then she rushed out.

Which just left Callie in the room with Arizona, "Can I ask you a question?" she felt like she should just follow suit of Natalie, but at the same time… she just wanted to talk to the woman for a few minutes.

"Go ahead," she grunted in response.

"Why were you so mad, just now, at Natalie?" God, she just _wanted_ so badly for Arizona to say she was jealous. She wanted her to say that she didn't like that Callie went out with someone else and that she regretted telling her that she wouldn't care. _Just say it_.

Arizona now stopped to look at her, "Calliope, I…" when she paused to take a deep breath, Callie was sure her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Then it deflated when Arizona finished, "She was taking advantage of you; the whole lab, she didn't help with anything more than rudimentary knowledge of any of the questions, and that's not fair to you. I don't want her to use you."

She opened her mouth to respond, then shut it and shook her head. Starting for the door, she stopped, "Arizona," she began, and turned around to see blue eyes focused on her, "Why do you insist on calling me Calliope?"

Her features shifted into a smile, "Because she's the goddess of music and dance; she's a muse. She's beautiful. And so are you," she finished, looking down and making her hands busy shuffling the papers.

And just like that, Callie felt her stomach erupt in butterflies. She hated that Arizona could do that and she loved it at the same time. But as much as she loved it, she knew what she was going to have to do. She couldn't just continue on with Arizona the way things were; it was like torture.

* * *

**Please tell me any thoughts you're having! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.**

**Oh, Arizona... Callie's breaking point is getting so close. On the bright side, we are now halfway to Calzona's first date! :)**


	9. Thanksgiving

There was literally not one other soul, aside from the bartender, in Joe's today. Granted, that might be because it was the middle of the afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving, inside of a bar that was primarily catered to college students, most of whom were already back home with their families for the long weekend.

Feeling her eyes start to sting as a lump welled up in her throat, she looked down at the bar and swirled the whiskey in her glass. It wasn't her usual choice to drink, her go to being tequila when she wanted to get drunk. But it was her drowning in sorrows, a nice slow journey to not remembering kind of drink. Letting out a raggedy breath, she tipped her head back and gestured for another drink, which was delivered to her right away.

The tears welling in her eyes made her vision blurry and she blinked them away furiously. No. She didn't want any more tears. Her entire morning had been spent in them. This was the first Thanksgiving that she wasn't going to be home with her own family. Her dad, whose parents had made a dangerous journey from Cuba to the United States with their three young sons almost fifty years ago, always made a production out of this holiday. This and the Fourth of July were the "big" holidays in the Torres household.

There was so much to be thankful for, he would say, in this country full of opportunity. The country that allowed his own dad to start his own business, after the family had barely scraped by for years. The country that allowed the Torres family to be successful and live up to their full potential. The country that took them in with open arms and gave them hope for better futures. Thanksgiving, her father would say, was the true American holiday.

They had the entire family over, every year. Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, in-laws… anyone was invited to the Torres family Thanksgiving, as long as you went with the intention of truly giving thanks. Everyone was invited, she thought bitterly as alcohol stung the back of her throat and then the trail down to her stomach, except for her.

Her last conversation with Aria, this morning, had revealed that the holiday was going on as it always had. Because her parents' lives were going on as they always had. No, they didn't need their oldest daughter to make their family complete.

Hastily, she reached her hands up and rubbed at her eyes before any tears could fall. Aria, the one close family member who still talked to her, had called her in remorse this morning to tell her that she would miss her. When they were little, the two of them would fun into the kitchen and get Maya, their cook, to sneak them little bits of dessert before the main course was served, and as they got older, they would each talk to different family members and then reconvene together to discuss all the new gossip they'd gotten.

In their most recent years, their day would be spent playing with Aria's young daughter, Dani, while her husband, Felix, was constantly interrogated by family members who hadn't gotten to him the previous years. She missed her niece. And she missed her little sister. She missed her family.

Aria had told her that she, Felix, and Dani would have flown up to spend the weekend with Callie, except that her new baby boy, Julian, was too young to fly, being only a little over a month old. Julian, her nephew that she hadn't even had the chance to meet yet. Because she hadn't seen any of them in almost five months, since the Fourth of July. She used to talk to her father every single week… but now, nothing.

She looked down at her phone and swiped her thumb over it, wishing for it to magically ring and for her daddy's voice to be on the line. Telling her that he missed her, that he wanted her to come home; that he accepted her and loved her unconditionally, like he had always promised. But her phone wasn't ringing, and the last text she had gotten was definitely not from her dad.

An hour ago, Arizona had asked if she was still around or if she had gone home for break. Her only answer was _I'm busy_ because she just couldn't take any more rejection, not today.

Just as she finished this drink – her fifth? Sixth? – the person in question appeared seemingly out of nowhere, her voice asking, "Calliope?"

Normally, after having being surprised like Arizona just surprised her, she would have some sort of reaction. However, her responses were a little slow at the moment, and she just couldn't bring herself to care, "Hi."

Glancing sideways, she watched as the blonde shifted so that she was up on the stool next to her, and those cerulean eyes were watching her as if she was a wounded animal, "This is what you were busy doing? Drinking alone in the middle of the day made you too busy to talk to me?"

Slamming her cup back onto the counter, she swiveled around to stare down the blonde, "Yes, this was what I was busy doing. Too busy to _talk_ to you? Newsflash Arizona: we don't _talk_. Or have you forgotten that?"

Arizona was taken aback by the burning intensity in those dark eyes as the Latina glared at her, "I, uh, I really did just want to stop by and tell you that I apologized to Natalie for behaving so rudely in class. And I gave her some study tips and notes I had taken to help her along in the reading she needs to do for your lab report."

Thinking about how she had been two days ago in class still made her embarrassed. What had she been thinking? Though she stood by her decision to make Natalie solely responsible for the lab report because she either needed a push to keep going or she was going to flunk out, the way she had done it had been childish. Just… seeing Natalie lean in too close to Calliope all class, seeing her hand on the thighs that _she_ had been touching for months just made something inside of her snap.

Callie waved her apology off, "You know, that's not really my priority right now. Natalie is a big girl, she can take care of herself. Some people just have to take care of themselves," she muttered, closing her eyes tightly. When they opened once more, she was glaring again at the TA, pointing her finger accusingly, "And you can't judge me for being here in the middle of the day, when you're here too."

God, the raven-haired beauty was absolutely inebriated. She didn't understand why she found it adorable, especially given that the taller woman seemed to be completely pissed off at her. Quirking a brow, she managed to keep the amusement of her intoxication off her face, "Yes, but you're here to drink. I'm here to pick up a case of German beer for my dad to drink."

There were a few seconds of silence that ticked by painfully, before Callie's voice, lower and rougher than usual, asked, "Your family is coming here?"

As soon as those words came out, and she looked at her face, she knew that even though Calliope was more than tipsy, there was something else lurking under the surface. "Yes, they're flying here tonight, for the weekend," even though she had spent the last few months strictly avoiding conversations about family, seeing the brunette's emotional state, she couldn't help but ask, "What about you?"

Callie slapped her hands on the bar in front of them, then fumbled some money out of her pocket to leave it there, before she shakily got to her feet and snorted in laughter, "Like you care."

_I do_, her inner voice screamed at her to say, but all she managed to get out was, "Calliope…" before the Latina swayed on her feet, and she hopped off her seat to grab her arm and help her keep her balance.

Looking for a moment like she was deliberating over a decision, Callie took a hold of the hands steadying her, "Come back for your German beer. Come with me, now."

Allowing herself to be pulled along, she bit the inside of her lip, "What – Calliope, where are we going?"

The sly look that Callie sent over her shoulder made Arizona's knees want to give out as her voice, already husky from the alcohol and from whatever she was experiencing emotionally answered, "To do the only thing that we do together."

By now, they were already halfway across the street, and Arizona ignored her natural urge to just follow her up into the apartment and have sex. Callie clearly wanted it, and she definitely wanted it… but instinct was telling her to stop. There was definitely something else on her mind, and even though it had taken her a little while to get to this point, she cared. Making them come to a halt in front of the apartment building, "Wait, I don't… this isn't a good idea."

Callie put her hands on her hips, "Why not? Isn't this supposed to be what we are together? Fuck buddies? We use each other when we want sex; "when the mood strikes." That's what _you_ decided we were going to be, and right now, I want to use you as a distraction. I _need_ to use this as a distraction."

Feeling torn, she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. That had been what she had proposed initially. For them to use each other when they wanted to, nothing serious. But because of recent events… "What about Natalie?"

The brunette's face contorted in confusion, "What _about_ Natalie?"

Feeling her face burn in an unpleasant mix of jealousy and embarrassment, she looked at the ground, then past Callie's shoulder, "You know… you two have your little thing."

Callie just gave her a dumbfounded, frustrated look, "Are you kidding me? The one time you're going to bring up my "thing" with Natalie, is right now, when all I want you to do is take me upstairs and fuck me?"

Feeling her breath quicken as heat spread throughout her body at Callie's words, she swallowed hard, "It's just… you look upset and you've been drinking and I don't want to take advantage of you or anything."

"Well, if that's "just" what it is, I'm telling you now that I'm fine. All I want you to do is take me. Can you do that, please?" her voice pleaded, and unable to refuse the need so clearly laced in it, the blonde nodded. Callie's hands tightened on Arizona's, and she pulled her forward, opening the door behind her so they fell through it, then ran to the elevator.

Who was she to deny Calliope Torres when she was almost begging her for a distraction via sex? Especially, Arizona thought as a dark thrill shot through her, when she could have been asking _Natalie_.

As soon as the doors had closed behind them, Arizona ran her hands up to Callie's face, softly cupping her cheeks. She had such soft skin, she thought, as her thumbs stroked over it. And even though it had only been about a week since it had been under her hands, she'd missed it. Just as she leaned her head in, about to press against those luscious lips, the elevator came to a stop, and Callie reached up to her face and took her hands in her own, yanking her out and toward her apartment door.

She scooped back those thick dark locks as Callie fumbled out the keys to the apartment, and pressed a light kiss to the heated neck underneath. The taller woman stopped opening the door still with the key in the lock and spun to connect blue and brown eyes as she growled, "Not slow and soft. Hard and fast."

Seeing the conviction, and feeling the heat it caused to rush to her lower body, she was only too happy to comply. Reaching up to tangle her hands into the hair she had just swept out of the way, then fisting in it, she jerked Callie's head down. No more soft kisses; her teeth bit into the Latina's plump bottom one, tasting the whiskey. She walked backwards, forcing them through the door, then slammed it shut behind them.

Her hands moved down to grip the leather jacket that Calliope had started to wear ever since the weather had called for it. It made her look ten times hotter than she already did, which Arizona didn't even think was possible for this particular woman. But as much as she loved it, it had to go.

Tugging it down her arms, she pulled away from their kiss, "Is your roommate here?"

Callie shook her head, "Parent's house," she grunted out before attaching her mouth to Arizona's neck.

"Good," she managed to breathe out, as she felt teeth nip at her skin. Slightly clumsy hands started pulling at her belt and she reached down to grab them.

Bringing her mouth to Calliope's ear, she enveloped the lobe in her mouth, then blew out a breath onto it, loving the shivers that appeared as she whispered, "I thought _I_ was supposed to be making _you_ distracted?"

As the words were out of her mouth, she gripped Callie's hips and forced her to walk backwards, until her back hit the kitchen doorway, feeling the surprised exhale against her neck. Her hands ran down and pulled at the hem of Callie's shirt, lifting it then throwing it out of the way, uncaring where it landed as those magnificent breasts came into view.

They were practically spilling over the plain black bra that was encasing them for only a few seconds before she unclasped it and threw that across the room, too. She wasn't sure, but out of all of the women she had slept with, she had always believed herself to be a leg-woman. But the first night she had spent with Calliope – and her boobs – she was converted.

Lowering her head, she planted kissed down to the Latina's chest, starting to make circles around the areola, until long fingered hands reach up to the ends of her hair and fisted there, reminding her that this wasn't time for slow. Latching on to one of her nipples, she bit down on it, and feeling it harden against her tongue was enough to make her almost come on the spot.

Urged on by the sounds Callie was making, the rolling moans accompanying her rolling hips, Arizona wrenched down the black yoga pants, letting them slip down toned, caramel legs, before slipping her hand between them, feeling how soaked through her underwear was. Unable to control her reactionary groan, she lifted her mouth, "Fuck, Calliope, you're so wet."

Bucking her hips against the hand toying at her covered center, she squeezed her eyes shut, "Yesss. Yes. Just fuck me, Arizona."

Hearing _her_ name come out of that mouth as liquid sex wet her fingertips through the fabric drove her to edge her fingers into the band of them and pull them down, letting them pool on top of the yoga pants still around Callie's ankles. Bringing her fingers back to where they needed to be, she circled the hard clit, smiling as curved hips jumped at her.

From above her, Callie's breath was already laboring and her voice came out in a whine, "Arizona…"

Hearing her name again, she drove two fingers into her, and started a rhythm backed by her thigh, hard and fast, just like Callie had asked for. Her mouth found its way back to her chest, biting the soft skin, leaving red marks on her journey to those perky nipples that were begging for her attention once more.

She let out a grunt as Callie's nails dug into her shoulder blades through her shirt, as her fingers curled to rub against that sensitive spot, then paused to rub for a few seconds. Her own clit throbbed in response as the Latina's head flew back and let out a cry. _She_ was the one who was making Calliope feel like this… not Natalie. _She_ knew how to find that spot, the one she was hitting with every outward part of the thrust. _She_ was the one who was here now, no one else.

Trying to squeeze her legs together to subdue her own need while she took care of Callie's just made her pulse harder, which was becoming even more of an issue as she was releasing louder moans, turning into high-pitched screams. She needed… her hand that wasn't pumping in and out of Callie ran down her own body, into her own jeans.

She flicked her clit in time with her thrusts into Callie, resting her head on the other woman's shoulder while her hands worked furiously below them. Her release was barreling towards her at the speed of light, and she grinded down harder onto herself as stars burst behind her eyes, her hand inside of Callie stilling and rubbing vigorously against that spot.

Just as her orgasm faded, Callie's hit, making her hips push forcefully into Arizona's, who just managed to pull her hand out of her own pants and bring it up between them, palming one of those extraordinary breasts. Slowly, her series of groans tapered off into whimpers and her hands fell from their grip into Arizona's back.

Even as her hands continued to softly rub inside of Callie, even as she could still feel aftershocks quaking through that tall, curvy, amazing body, she felt Calliope's head drop onto her shoulder. Followed immediately by warm tears soaking into her skin. Gently, she pulled out her fingers and brought both arms up to wrap around the taller woman's body, absorbing her weight as Callie fell forward slightly, her torso sagging against the blonde's.

Stroking her hands lightly up and down Callie's back she whispered, "It's okay, just let it out. You're okay."

Callie's broken voice spoke, muffled as it was pressed against Arizona's neck, "I-it's not… I'm n-n-not okay."

Looking around to see what was close to them, she seeing a stool nearby and took very small steps toward it, urging Callie against it, while she bent to pull the ruined underwear and thin yoga pants back up her legs. Then, she leaned forward, resuming her tight, hugging hold around her, while Calliope's face burrowed into her shoulder. Those tears seeped through the cotton of her shirt, and Callie's whole body shook against hers while harsh sobs wracked her body.

She held on, for she wasn't even sure how long, until those sobs shifted into quietly streaming tears. Spotting a box of tissues on the counter right behind them, she reached over to grab a few, then shifted back, dabbing at those puffy, red rimmed eyes that still managed to look gorgeous.

Combing her hands through the dark hair, she was amazed and worried at how natural this felt to do. She didn't know how long it had been since she had comforted anyone like this. Callie's voice broke through her thoughts, startling her by saying, "Can you leave?"

Baffled, she looked down, seeing angry sincerity written all over her face, "What? I can't just go when you're crying like this…"

Callie reached for the tissues the blonde was still holding tightly in her grasp and pulled them out, swiping hastily at the rest of her tears, trying to control the way her voice wanted to wobble, "I'm not crying anymore, and I want you to get out."

She could tell Arizona was surprised and conflicted, seeing it in those clear blue eyes even before she said, "Why don't you just tell me what's wrong first and –"

But now, now she was livid, and she pushed the blonde's hands off of her, then pushed herself to stand up, "What's wrong? _What's wrong_? Are you _kidding_ me? You can't – you can't reject my every attempt at being more than just your fuck buddy then expect me to trust you with my problems. You've made it clear that you really don't care about my personal life. Maybe that's our big problem, because I do care. I care a lot. And I don't want to do this anymore," the words came to her frantically, viciously, and she was surprised at just how much she meant them.

Pushing past Arizona, she reached around to slip on her shirt, then turned back to start to push the TA out. But instead, her hand was gripped tightly, and blue eyes pleaded with her, "Calliope –"

Somewhere annoying close to the surface in her emotions wanted to hear her plea, but she made herself strengthen her resolve, "Let go of me. I don't like this; I'm not this person. I mean, okay, yeah, I've had a friends with benefits thing before. But at least then I was actually legitimately friends with him. More than half the time, I feel like you don't even like me. The other half of the time, you're blowing my mind and being all flirty and funny. We have to be done with this, because you don't even really like me and I like you. I like you, and I spend most nights wondering who else you're with, and if you're being mind-blowing and flirty and funny with them, too." She pulled herself out of Arizona's grasp and walked to the door. Opening it, she made the invitation more than obvious that she was waiting for the blonde to walk back out.

Head down, blonde hair falling in front of her face, she walked forward, to the doorway, but instead of continuing out, she stopped in front of the brunette, her voice quiet, "There's no one else. I'm not sleeping with anyone else. I'm not even flirting with them. I don't want to. I just want you… t-t-to know that."

Callie had wanted to hear words like that for almost three months, but now that she was getting them, she refused to accept, "Well, you know what, Arizona? You can't just do that. You can't be all "I care about you" but then completely act like you don't care about me, the way you do. I'm done settling for crumbs. Get out."

This time, Arizona's eyes flashed with hurt, deep and clear, and she turned and fled the apartment. Callie slammed the door behind her, leaning up her back against it, feeling her tears return, fresh ones, dripping down her cheeks. What was it about her that made it so easy for people to walk away?

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**Please let me know what you think! A big thank you, as always, to everyone who already has. I love you guys and I'm really loving writing this story.**


	10. Friends

"I don't understand why you want to go out to eat when we still have perfectly good leftovers still in Bug's kitchen," her father grumbled as he held the door open to a restaurant that was down the street from Arizona's apartment.

His wife and daughter made eye contact and shook their heads in amusement, knowing that he would rather stay in any night than go out, while Barbara responded to him, "Because, Daniel, we are leaving tomorrow morning and we are going to treat our daughter to a nice dinner out. Plus, we need to leave her with some edible leftovers because lord knows she's not going to be cooking herself any real food."

Arizona smiled; having her parents around always gave her a sense of warmth and security, like putting a soothing balm over a wound, and she felt like this weekend had somewhat replenished her. Making a show of rolling her eyes at her mother, she protested, "Hey, now, I can make Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, French fries, chicken nuggets…"

Daniel sighed but conceded to his wife's point, "You're right. You know, you're not making it easier for us to not worry about you up here."

"Dad, you don't need to worry about me! I'm almost twenty-six-years-old," she informed him, as if he didn't already know. Her parents always found it easier to talk about how they worried about her, because she was easy to check up on. Daily phone calls ensured her safety. Tim was the one they all worried about the most, and they had to rely on him to set up communication with them, hopefully once a week.

The older woman reappeared after having spoken to the maître d, just in time to hear the tail end of Arizona's statement, "No matter how old you are, we're always going to worry about you. Especially after you transferred from a school that was less than an hour away from our house to one that's an eight hour drive away."

Her decision to transfer to Harvard Med had been a difficult one, especially because just switching medical schools wasn't the easiest thing to do. Naturally, she had talked about it with her parents, about how it was something she needed to do. Not to mention, it was the best program in the country. "I'm a grown woman!"

"Then you should at least be able to make yourself some decent meals, do your own laundry –" her mother started to list.

Interjecting, she defended herself, "Hey, now, I _can_ do my own laundry! I just… saved it for you to do because you do it so much better," she finished with a sweet smile, fluttering her eye lashes at the graying blonde.

She tried to hide the smile that appeared on her face, "Sure, honey. Whatever you say."

"It's the truth. I don't just go around wearing old, dirty clothes every day," she insisted as they were led to their table. She walked to the left of her parents, looking over to see how they still held hands. The thing is, she knew that real love did exist, because she saw her parents have it. She'd grown up seeing them, every day, in love. But they made it look so much easier to feel than it really was.

"Come on, Barb, not every adult has to be a great cook to live a successful life," he winked at Arizona as he pulled out two chairs and allowed them both to sit down before sitting at the third.

Joanne had always had a problem with that, she was unable to stop the thought about her ex. Joanne had disliked how her father would always pull out the chairs and hold the doors for the women in his life, saying he was sexist. But Arizona knew her father wasn't sexist – he taught her to throw a punch just the way he'd taught Tim; he just had a strict code of manners that he was raised with and lived by. It was easier to have thoughts of her ex when her parents were around, because they knew her… she made her mind focus back to dinner.

Her mother picked up a menu after they ordered drinks, "Just because _you_ can't cook… you're just lucky you had me. I always made sure you and Timothy were in the kitchen to help me make dinner when you were younger. How it only stuck with him and not you is beyond me," she teased.

It was a joke they had made starting nearly a decade earlier. Tim was excellent at cooking and sewing, whereas Arizona was a disaster. As teenagers, the joke was on him. Now, it was on her. Daniel chimed in, "Well, now, all Bug has to do is find herself a woman who can cook, just like I did. No shame in that," his eyes twinkled in laughter.

She started to chuckle along with her parents, as her dad shifted in his seat, moving to the left and revealing a very familiar Latina sitting a few tables away.

The laugh that had been bubbling on her tongue fell away into her throat. She looked a lot better – happier – than she had two and a half days ago, when she'd demanded Arizona to leave her apartment; she was laughing. Shifting to the side a little bit, she saw that Calliope was with the attractive redhead that she spent so much time with. Addison, she knew her name to be. She felt like she hadn't seen the raven-haired beauty in weeks, but it had really only been since Wednesday afternoon, and it was now Saturday night.

After being kicked out of the apartment, she'd managed to pick up the German beer for her father and get back to her apartment before her own tears started. Was she really that emotionally stunted and off-putting that Calliope couldn't stand her to be around, even when she so clearly needed someone to be with her? Had she really treated her badly?

She had wanted to stay, and be with the other woman, and she'd been dismissed. It just made her think of Joanne, the last time they had had sex, when her ex had marched her to the door and just told her to get out. She had royally fucked up then, and she was doing it again now. The situations were different and she managed to mess everything up, even without knowing it.

Before she could avert her eyes, chocolate brown snapped up to meet her own. Heart jumping to her throat, she didn't know what to do. Should she smile or wave? Not acknowledge her at all? She wanted to apologize and explain where she was coming from or something, all at once, but she wouldn't even know where to start.

Her mother's hand touched her shoulder, jolting her back into reality, "Honey, are you all right? Who are you looking at?"

Breaking the eye contact, she looked back to her parents, who were both giving her questioning stares. Shaking her head quickly, she answered, "Um, no one."

Due to her insufficient answer, both parents looked back in the direction of the Latina, which made her quickly look back to her friend. Her dad was the next one to ask, "Then why was "no one" looking back at you?"

There was no way she was going to sit at the dinner table with her parents and explain to them Calliope's role as her sex buddy for the last three months, "She's just a friend, from the class I'm a TA in."

Her mother's eyes were still on Callie for another moment before she gave her daughter a measuring look, "She's a very pretty… friend."

The blonde's cheeks burned red, looking up at the gorgeous woman a few tables away for just a second before going back to her mom, who had that knowing glint in her eye, "Yes, she is," she agreed, with a sigh as she played with the napkin in front of her.

Her mom grabbed her hand, a delighted smile taking over her features, "Arizona! You're dating her. Oh, honey, it's been so long since you really dated anyone. Is she the young lady who you were with that night I called you? Actually, the several times I called you and you were… busy?"

If the ground would open up and swallow her whole, she wouldn't have hated it, she thought, her blush growing deeper, "Mom, please, stop."

Her dad's eyebrows drew together, the look on his face that of anger, as he dropped his hand to the table in a heated pound, "That's your girlfriend over there? On a date with someone else?" The Colonel was many things, and super protective of his daughter was certainly one of them.

"Oh, my god!" Her eyes widened as people at surrounding tables started to look at them – the panicked daughter, irate father, beaming mother. Taking a hold of her dad's hand and her mom's, she gripped tightly, "Listen to me, Calliope and I are _not_ dating. And she is with her friend, not a date. There is no dating to be had here."

Both Robbins parents seemed to calm down and everyone around them went back to business as usual. For a few moments, they all looked at their menus in silence, until Barbara spoke, "Calliope, that's an interesting name."

"Mom! Please! Callie and I are not dating. We're hardly even friends… we're… I don't know how to describe it," at least, not to her parents.

Sure, she told her brother about her three rules. But her brother was only two years older than she was, and growing up, had been her best friend. But her _mom_? Now that's just embarrassing. She was certain her mom knew she was somewhat of a serial non-dater, but she didn't know the specifics. Not now, nor ever. And her father… well, she was never, under any circumstances, going to bring up her sex life to the Colonel. He refused to even believe she had gotten her period until she was well into her late teens.

She snuck another look over to Calliope, who was now in conversation with Addison, and wondered what she had been so upset about those few days ago. This time, it was her dad's voice that drew her attention, "Bug, why don't you go say hi to your… whatever she is to you? It's clear you want to talk to her, so just do it. Your mother and I can take care of ourselves for a little bit."

Just do it was not only Nike's motto, she and Tim had joked since they were young, but the Colonel's. He just took charge and did what he felt was right. Shrinking back into her chair, she suddenly felt like a child, muttering, "No, that's okay."

Her mother, who had known that something was wrong since Arizona had met up with them at Logan Airport, brushed a lock of curled blonde hair back from her daughter's face, "She's the reason you've been so upset this weekend. Right?"

"Did she do something to hurt you?" Daniel chimed in, as the married pair exchanged worried glances. Very few times did their perky daughter outwardly show that she was unhappy. So few times, in fact, that this side of her had only been revealed to them when she was little and had been worried about her dad when he was deployed, then again when she got older, and Tim had been in a similar situation. Then… with Joanne.

Forcing herself to sit up straight once more, she let out a deep breath, "No, she didn't. Well, nothing more than I think I've done to her."

Her mom rubbed quick, comforting circles on her shoulder briefly before withdrawing her hand, as her dad advised, "You're a Robbins. When you hurt someone, you make it right," he nodded, as if that signified his authority on the matter.

It's not that she didn't want to "make it right" with Callie – it was that she didn't know how. She didn't know how to just push through her own emotional mess, to pull down the walls she had built up. Callie had, unknowingly it seemed, broken down some of them, but even so, the walls were still there boxing her in, just not as high. But all she did was nod, "I know."

They were silent once more, back to the menus, until Barbara's voice asked in a good-humored tone, "This Calliope… can she cook?"

* * *

"I don't understand why you found it imperative for us to come to Joe's for some lunch on a Monday afternoon," Teddy lifted a brow in a silent question.

"Because I just had a… craving," she explained distractedly, leading them to a table near the front window of the bar. It was clear that the taller blonde didn't believe her, but went along with it anyway.

The thing was, Arizona had worked out a plan of action. Somewhat. Her parents had left yesterday – Sunday – afternoon to make their short flight back to Virginia, and since then, she had done a lot of thinking about her relationship with Calliope.

So, she was going to ask the Latina to stay behind after class for a few minutes, or, if she was busy, to talk some other time – soon – when she wasn't busy. They really just had to lay everything out on the table, for starters. Clearly, both of them were on different pages, and unless they wanted everything to be tense and awkward in class or whenever they happened to run into each other elsewhere, they just had to… talk.

But her plan was foiled, because Calliope never walked through the door to come to class. She _missed_ Webber's class. No one just missed Dr. Webber's class! When she brought it up to him that they had an absence, he told her it was excused, meaning Callie would have had to let him know that she was going to miss class for good reason. So there had to be something wrong.

Teddy looked across their small table, in the middle of a story of how she had met this guy, Henry, who she was going to go on a date with. But Arizona definitely wasn't paying any attention to her at all, just staring out the window. Not a dazed-off kind of stare, but an intense one. Just to confirm her believe, she veered off her story into, "Yeah, so then I told Henry about how I was pregnant from the swinger's party I went to a few weeks ago. He was so excited, because he told me that he's been hiding his wife and six kids from me, and he wants me to move in with them so we can be sister wives. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Realizing that her friend was waiting for her to respond, Arizona looked at her and fixed on a bright smile, "Yeah, Teds, that's great."

Then a hand was snapping in front of her face, drawing her attention before she could look back across the street, toward the apartment building that was there, as Teddy exclaimed, "Are you kidding me? Please, please tell me we did not come here so you could stalk Callie Torres. Because that's what this is, you know, legitimate stalking."

"Oh, shush. It is not. I'm just… curious as to why she wasn't in class," Arizona responded, turning her head to look out the window once more.

Teddy gave her a look of utter disbelief as a teasing smile crept onto her face, "You're worried about her." When Arizona simply shrugged and didn't verbalize an answer, her teasing smile faded, "You're worried about Callie, but instead of you showing her that you actually care about her, we're hiding in the bar across the street so you can stalk her. In a weird, creepy way, this is kind of sweet. But I think she'd appreciate it more if you went over there to talk to her."

She drummed her fingers on the table, "I know that. I do. It's just… last week we had this thing and we fought and she told me to get out. How do I even know that she will open the door to me if I go knocking?"

Teddy stood, "You don't. But as someone who has become your close friend, I refuse to sit here and accommodate this avoidance behavior."

Knowing she was right, Arizona followed suit, muttering, "But you'll accommodate all of my other behavior?"

"As much as I don't agree with your views on relationships, they're yours to have. What do I care if you just want to have sex with Callie, as long as you're up front about it…" she shrugged, leading them out of the bar, "However, this is just too strange. You're going to go up there and talk. Or not talk, as the case of you and Callie might be."

Making a face at her friend, she started across the street, shouting over her shoulder, "There will be no not talking!"

Teddy waved, "Sure there won't."

But there wouldn't be, she already knew going up the stairs. That was the point of laying everything out flat. As she reached the door she was seeking, her determined steps faltered, her heart beating fast. Before she could stop herself or turn around, thinking of the fire burning in Callie's eyes as she'd told the blonde to leave, she knocked on the door.

A few seconds went by before she heard anything – maybe no one was home, she both feared and hoped at the same time – when that distinctive, rich voice called from inside, "Come in, the door is open!"

Well, here goes nothing… pushing the door open, she stepped inside and looked around, spotting the back of a dark head of hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Closing the door behind her, she edged in, "Calliope? It's Arizona."

The Latina's head turned sharply to see her, caramel toned cheeks blushing slightly as she said, "I thought it was going to be Mark."

Feeling a little uncomfortable, she took a few more steps forward, a small laugh working out of her throat as she looked down at herself, "Yeah… not Mark. I just wanted –" as soon as she was close enough, her eyes came to rest on the foot Callie had resting on the coffee table – swollen and bruised dark purple, sitting inward at an unnatural angle. Forgetting her awkwardness, she rushed forward, thinking of what she'd seen in medical text books, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Callie watched, her heart feeling weirdly warm and fuzzy as the blonde dropped to her knees and her hands ghosted over her sore ankle, "I'm fine. It's just a sprain. On my way out the door, I rolled it when I was walking down the stairs."

Arizona rolled her eyes, "Just a sprain. What grade sprain? Have you gone to the hospital? You might need an orthopedic walking boot or something."

"I'm pretty sure it's just a grade one. I've been icing on and off all morning, and if it doesn't look any better tomorrow, I'll go in to the hospital. I swear," she added on as blue eyes narrowed at her. As Arizona leaned back onto her heels, she prompted, "So… you came over here before you knew about my ankle…"

"Yes, right. I did. I just… I've been doing a lot of thinking since the last time we saw each other," her eyes instinctually moved to look at the area of the apartment, about ten feet away, where the altercation had taken place. "I think that we need to talk about it."

Slowly, Callie nodded, "We should. I've been wanting to say –" she wasn't entirely certain what she wanted to say, because she'd had a lot of different scenarios of what would happen when she ran into Arizona again, "– I realized I might have come off a little… rough, the other day." Rough as in half naked, weeping, and kind of drunk. "I was really emotional that day, clearly, but I meant what I said. About not wanting to do this anymore," because emotionless no-strings attached really wasn't her thing, she'd realized.

She'd known when it happened that what they had had going was completely done. Hearing Callie say it reinforced what she'd planned on saying since yesterday. Squeezing her hands together, she looked into gorgeous brown eyes, "Calliope, what happened Wednesday made me think, a lot, about us. We did things out of order, and it really didn't work for either one of us. But I _do_ care about you, even though I didn't want to, even though it's hard for me, because I haven't let myself care about anyone in a while. I've hurt you, without meaning to, and I apologize. Because I don't like to hurt the people I care about."

She'd been replaying last week in her head repeatedly, as big blue eyes had stared at her, hurt, when she'd told the smaller woman to get out. Sitting here, now, she did believe Arizona cared, but, "You have a hell of a way of showing it."

Letting out a humorless laugh at her own actions, she agreed, "I know it. I didn't want to admit that you meant anything more to me than simple sex buddies. But you did. You do. And I want you to know that."

After a few seconds ticked by, Callie sighed, "I do know." There was no way to say that she couldn't see how Arizona cared about her, the way she had held her last week as she wept, how concerned she'd just been over her ankle. Even Mark and Cristina, the only people who'd witnessed her accident this morning, were less concerned than the blonde. "I just really wanted you to say it before we go to the point we reached last week."

Tentatively, the blonde shifted from squatting on the ground to sit on the couch, a respectable distance from the brunette, "I know you did. But I'm really not the best with dealing with my emotions sometimes. So, I've been thinking, since we are both kind of messed up, maybe it would be best if we tried something we skipped over before." Taking a deep breath, she turned in her seat to look at the Latina, "Do you want to be my friend, Calliope? Maybe with the future potential of actually... dating?"

Having not expected to hear _that_, Callie turned to look at Arizona, her eyebrows drawn in both confusion and contemplation. Friends with Arizona, with a future possibility of more. If she was honest with herself, this proposition wouldn't work out any worse than their previous one, however unexpected it might be. Less physically satisfying, she thought, but more emotionally and mentally. Well, it had potential. And she couldn't just write the blonde out of her life – she would always see her around school, in class, in their extended friends' circle. If anything, it was worth a shot.

Seeing Callie start to come around to the idea, Arizona shyly reached out and offered her hand, "Friends?" and she felt unsure as to whether or not Calliope would take it.

After a few moments, their skin made contact, sending sparks through both of them, "Friends," she agreed, trying to forget that this was the sensation she got whenever they touched.

For the good of their newfound friendship, they both dropped hands and scooted a few inches away from each other. Arizona nodded, trying to find something to say, "So, no more kissing." No more touching – or seeing – those amazing breasts.

Callie nodded in kind, letting a sigh slip out, "And no more sex. With each other." She would miss that, but she thought that the potential of what she could gain from a friendship with the possibility of turning into something real might be worth it.

"Right," the TA sat back against the couch. Friends. This could be interesting.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! **

**On that note, I'm going to say that I'm overwhelmed (generally in a good way) with the responses I got for my last chapter, because I'm glad people seem to care about my story. I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to let me know their opinions – good and bad, either on my chapter or on how I wrote a character. However, there is no need to attack anyone else or make scathing comments about any other viewpoint because I don't want me/my story to be used as a tool to hate on anyone. That's not why I'm writing, and while I love any kind of feedback, if you are going to leave me a review that has literally nothing at all to do with the story, please don't bother leaving anything.  
**

**Regardless of what anyone might think, I don't have a bias toward either side of Callie/Arizona; I love them both, equally and a lot. And when I write, I'm writing with the good of both characters in mind. Some people don't agree with the way Callie is treated, and I understand that. Some people don't agree with the way Arizona is treated, and I understand that, too. The fact of the matter is that both girls have flaws and they are in this together – it's not a matter of being on either/or's side. **

**Thank you for reading, either way. **


	11. Comfortable

In the grand scheme of things, hanging out inside of Arizona's apartment while waiting for the blonde to finish showering was really not what she'd expected her day to come to. She felt fidgety, wandering around the living room and looking at the knick-knacks. The reason for the fidgety feeling wasn't because she felt uncomfortable being here – it was because she did feel comfortable, but she felt like she shouldn't.

It was kind of comical, she could acknowledge that. Over the course of the last few months, she had been in this living room several times. She'd been taken from behind, bent over the couch. She'd eaten Arizona out while they'd laid on the floor, while the blonde's hands held onto the bookshelf.

But never before had she actually had the time or permission, really, to just walk about and learn about Arizona's life through her belongings. It had never been explicitly stated in their fuck-buddy status that she wasn't "allowed" to peek around, but she just never did it. Now, there was just a whole wealth of information at her disposal.

On the bookshelf, mostly covered in textbooks with not much free-time reading there – which, Callie definitely understood, because if there was any med student who had free time to read for pleasure, she needed to know their secret – were three framed photos. One was of the older couple she'd seen the blonde with Thanksgiving weekend, presumably her parents, another was of a man in uniform, with blue eyes, golden brown hair, a bright smile that radiated just like Arizona's, and she could spot dimples, too. Definitely a brother. The third photo was of the same man and Arizona, hugging, and she could see in the photo Arizona's eyes squeezed tightly closed, the way someone would look trying to hold in tears.

Before she could investigate farther, Arizona's voice appeared behind her, "That's my brother. Tim."

Spinning around, she gave her a sheepish smile, "I didn't mean to snoop." Freshly showered, Arizona smelled like flowers and she had done her hair into two damp braids.

The blonde shrugged and hesitantly walked closer, so that they were standing side by side, "It's not a big deal. Friends know these kinds of things about each other," she said with a dimpled smile.

Friends also didn't remain super conscious of not touching each other, Callie thought, but didn't say anything. She thought that maybe, after spending more time together, they would be more natural. Things weren't really _awkward_ between them, when they would run into each other, but it was mostly because in the last two weeks, since they'd made this decision, they'd hardly seen each other at all – it was the end of the semester. Both of them had final exams to study for, not to mention Arizona's extra TA responsibilities.

Those excuses were gone now, seeing as how it was officially the first week of winter break. This morning, Callie had gone out to breakfast alone – Addison was with her parents for the month off in Aspen, Mark was having a home-grown Shepherd family Christmas in New York, and Cristina… well, Cristina was, as she put it, "Sure as hell not going home," so Callie assumed she had all but moved in with Meredith for the break, as she hadn't seen her in a while.

Which left Callie with a lot of alone time on her hands. As she'd sat in the diner, empty plate in front of her, she had taken out her phone and spent long minutes thinking about whether or not to text Arizona. Who knew if she could even be around, as most people had left for the break? But her decision had been made for her when the doors to the diner jingled and in walked the object of her thoughts.

In sweat pants and a heavy purple winter jacket, as they'd just gotten their first coat of snowfall the night before. Dressed down like that, she still looked fresh and beautiful – friends could think other friends were beautiful, Callie assured herself of that. Leaving cash on the table for her breakfast, she'd stood and walked up behind the blonde who had just been handed her over the counter coffee.

Which was a bad idea, because she startled Arizona, who'd practically thrown the hot coffee in the air in surprise, spilling it all down the neck of her coat, into her over the shoulder low ponytail… yeah, it hadn't been Callie's smoothest morning.

But Arizona had taken it in stride, smiling and asking if she wanted to come back to her apartment – just to hang out, as soon as Arizona washed the coffee out of her hair. Which left them where they were, standing next to each other in silence in front of her bookshelf.

Callie nodded, "They do. Is your brother – Tim – in the army?"

"Marines," the blonde quickly corrected, flashing her smile as an apology for her snappy reply, "I grew up in a military family – you don't want to confuse the two terms."

"A military family?" she asked, wanting Arizona to continue. Through months of being intimate with the shorter woman, she really knew almost nothing around her. Not really intimate at all, beyond the purely physical.

Arizona inclined her head toward the kitchen, and Callie followed her as she listened to the blonde speak, "Yeah, my great-grandfather was in the marines, and both my grandfather and his brother were. Then my dad, and now Tim."

The blonde moved around, making herself a cup of instant coffee. When it was in a mug, Callie offered a smile, "I promise I won't make you spill this one."

Arizona laughed, "I appreciate that. But yeah, we moved around a lot when I was younger, never stayed on one base for longer than three years until I was sixteen and my dad was placed at a higher level job at Quantico in Virginia." She sipped the coffee with a grimace, "This stuff is terrible."

"Hence why you went out to buy some this morning," Callie finished apologetically. When Arizona waved it off and continued to drink the beverage, while leading them back into the living room, she asked curiously, "So, where was your dad stationed?"

Squinting her eyes, she could remember bits and pieces of every place, even though many of them blended together, "Um, I know we were in San Diego when I was born, and we stayed there for a while. Then we moved to… South Carolina. The first place I really remember being was Japan, and then there was Hawaii, until I was ten. Georgia was next, and then Germany, where we stayed for a full three and a half years, until my dad was permanently moved to Virginia. Where we moved into a real house, not on a base," she finished while her eyes lit up.

Callie's eyebrows shot up, "You lived in seven different places? Did you like it? I mean, I guess it must have been interesting."

"It was definitely interesting," she agreed, but mostly she just remembered feeling isolated from all of the normal kids she saw living off base, "But Tim and I saw it differently – he loved it. The different experiences, the stories that came with all of the places we saw. I didn't hate it, but I really wanted all those roots that other people had. I mean, here I can tell people I come from Virginia, but I don't have anywhere that I'm really from. And I only had my brother for a true friend. And Nick, who lived on the same base as we did half the time, but still. And they were both great, Tim is… he's the best brother ever. But it's just not the life that I would fantasize about," she finished, drawing rings around her mugs' rim with a wistful look. Shaking her head as if to clear it, then sitting on the couch, folding her legs under her while Callie mirrored her pose on the other cushion of the loveseat, she asked, "What about you?"

Thinking of her own family, her parents, she inwardly cringed. But Arizona had shared with her, which she knew – god, she _knew_ – was difficult for the blonde, "I was born and raised in Miami. My parents were – are – pretty wealthy –"

Arizona mumbled, "Gulliver Academy," into her coffee cup with a small grin.

Catching it, Callie leaned forward slightly, "Did you just name my school?" Amused, she watched as color tinted the fair cheeks as she hid as much of her face as she could behind her coffee cup.

After a long sip, Arizona tried to play it off, "Yeah, I mean… I have access to information. As a TA. Completely legitimate."

"Mhmm," she lifted a brow, staring at the TA with suspicion, "As you just said, I went to Gulliver Academy, which is a pretty prestigious private school near my house."

"What do your parents do? For work?" Arizona asked, finishing her coffee and feeling completely alert as a result, placing the cup on the coffee table.

As she'd always been, she wasn't super comfortable talking about her parent's money, and she brought her hand to her knee to play with the fraying part of her jeans, "My mom is a professor of literature at the U of Miami. Mostly focusing in Greek mythology."

That bright smile came out, dimples popping, "Your name," she proclaimed, putting two and two together.

For some absurd reason, she just really loved that Arizona knew that, "And my sister, Aria."

"Your mom has good taste in names. Calliope and Aria," Arizona said out loud in a somewhat dreamy tone.

Callie broke the reverie by laughing, "Not so great when we have to be taunted by our classmates. Do you think my parents wanted me to go by Callie? I had to save myself the humiliation of my full name!"

"Hey, you don't have tell me about how kids are cruel about names! Mine is Arizona; I know how to fight dirty on the playground, too," she chuckled, but then laughed even harder, remembering her time in Hawaii, where the teasing had been the worst, but there were some named that she couldn't even pronounce of kids who mocked her.

"I explained my name, now you do yours. Are you really named after the state?" she asked teasingly, tentatively and lightly kicking her foot out to nudge Arizona's.

Arizona lifted her elbow to rest against the back of the couch, leaning her head on her hand as she explained, "Now don't be ridiculous, it has more meaning than that. My grandfather – in the marines, as you now know – was serving in Pearl Harbor during the war," she paused, thinking of how her dad would say this story with such pride.

Callie nodded in understanding, "The USS Arizona," she muttered. Surprised blue eyes snapped up to her face and she smiled indulgently, "Fancy private school. We learn a lot."

"Right. So, you've practically got it all on your own. My grandpa saved nineteen men on the USS Arizona before he died. My name – and my brother's name – both come from that. My dad's dad's name was Tim," she said by way of explanation. She wanted to move the conversation back to the Latina, so she prompted, "Anyway, your dad, what does he do? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Callie pictured her dad's proud face in her head, "My dad is the CEO of Archfield hotels," she muttered the last part, waiting for Arizona to make a production out of it like most people did. Trying to measure the look on the blonde's face, she was relieved to see that while she did look impressed, she didn't shout or ask exactly how rich Callie was. Instead, all she did was nod, waiting for the Latina to continue. Grateful, she did, "And I have one sister, Aria. She's a year younger than I am. Growing up, we were close… she's always been really dreamy, hopeful. I always wanted to be a doctor. She dreamed of getting married. And she is, now. Felix Reyes was a year older than me, and he grew up next door. Everyone knew Felix and Aria were going to get married since she was, like, five. He was this neighborhood athlete tough guy, but even when we were kids, she had him wrapped around her finger."

Liking the picture Callie was painting in her head, she sighed, "That must be nice."

Agreeing completely, because she was positive her sister's life would make a great fairy tale, she nodded, "Yeah, he proposed to her the day she graduated high school, then they got married a year later. A year after that, they had my niece. And now a nephew."

Arizona could tell by the smile ghosting around Callie's mouth that she must be very close to her sister, but she could also see the shadows in her face when she'd brought up her family. There was something more there, but she wasn't going to push for it; they all had their demons. "That sounds lovely for them. You Torres girls, going after your dreams," she tapped the Latina's foot with hers this time, and they both smiled.

Shifting so that she wasn't looking right at the face that made her heart stutter, Callie leaned into the cushion behind her, "So… what do you want to do today?"

Turning her body in a similar fashion, she looked out the window to see that the snow was now coming down, just as it had been last night. Excited, Arizona clapped her hands, "We could go out and do something in the –"

"No," Callie cut off calmly, laughing as the blonde's face fell instantly into a dejected expression, "Sorry, but I was born and raised where the weather rarely dropped for it to be cold enough for anything frozen to fall from the sky. Even after living in the northeast for almost seven years, I _still_ am not a fan of the snow. I'll tolerate it, but I won't frolic in it."

Heaving an overdramatic sigh, the blonde flopped back into the back of the couch, looking around the room, "Movie marathon?"

"Now that, I can work with," she smiled, and looked over at the shelves under the television that had all of the DVDs on it. Arizona gestured towards them as if saying _you choose_, so she walked over.

But Arizona learned that having Calliope choose the movie was probably a bad decision, because now she was about five feet away from her, on her hands and knees looking at movies, with her fabulous ass pressed against the worn fabric of her jeans. She could practically feel herself start to salivate – _no_.

Friends. Friendly thoughts. Friendly thoughts about her friends' amazing body that her hands itched to touch. Clearing her throat, she pushed herself up, "I'm going to get a water. Do you want one?"

"Sure," came Callie's response, as she remained oblivious and digging through the movies.

She took a few moments in the kitchen down the hall to calm herself. It wasn't like it was any secret that she fucking loved the Latina's body, so she had nothing to really hide. They both knew that the physical part of their interactions worked just fine; it was controlling those primal urges that they had to do now. And she could. Because she was an adult.

Okay. Grabbing two drinks, she walked back in, thankful that Callie was now sitting upright in front of the DVD player, her voice dripping with disdain as she laid out the choices they had before them, "Arizona, I hate to say this, but I don't know how our friendship is going to work when the only movies you own are a cross between romantic comedies and Disney."

Defensive, she put the water bottles on the table and then her hands to her hips, "What is so wrong with Disney?"

"Aha!" she cried in victory, jabbing her finger at the other woman, "So you admit that romantic comedies are terrible."

"I never claimed that they were great works of art; I like them because they are mindless entertainment, and you always know the ending. In both romantic comedies and Disney movies, the ending always works out in favor of the good guys. I like that," she finished, dropping back down to the couch and crossing her arms, "What would you like me to have stocked? Artsy _films_? All those symbolic award winners that require you to constantly be thinking about the meaning behind every action?"

Callie threw her head back, "God, no. I'm all for mindless entertainment, I just prefer it in the horror/gore kind of way." She watched Arizona's reaction to her words, seeing the goose bumps pop up on her arms, and her mouth fell open, "You're afraid of horror movies?"

"Isn't that the point of them?" she challenged back. God, she really did hate horror movies. Shoulders slumping in admitted defeat, she threw back, "Well, you know what Calliope, yes I am. And if you can mock romantic comedies, then I can mock horror. But there is no way _anyone_ can dislike all of Disney."

Making a choice, she slipped in a disc and rejoined the blonde on the couch, "I never said I disliked Disney. I just can't believe a twenty-five year-old woman owns every Disney movie on DVD," she added, poking her finger into Arizona's ribs.

It wasn't until Callie did that that either one of them realized that for once, they weren't sitting on opposite sides of the couch, rather, both inward toward the middle section. Still not touching, but there were only about two inches of space separating them. But neither moved away, and they each took a deep breath. They could do this.

Looking back at the screen, Arizona smiled, "My brother bought pretty much the entire Disney collection for me last Christmas. Oh, Toy Story! This was always one of my favorites."

"Mine too," they both grinned, then settled down to watch the movie.

By the end, both of them were slumped down against their respective arms of the couch, their legs tangled together in the middle with a blanket over them, but instead of the feeling being tense, it was extremely natural. Comfortable. Neither of them were going to question it, especially not out loud. As the credits rolled, Callie shook her head, "Sid is one fucked up little kid. I'm pretty sure my psych rotation points to him being the beginnings of a sociopath."

Sitting up a little straighter, Arizona reached down to smack Callie on the knee, "Hey, he's just a little kid; little boys can sometimes do those weird things," she defended.

Callie arched a brow, "Did your brother ever blow up his GI Joe's?"

"Absolutely not. Blowing up toy soldiers on a military base wouldn't be the smartest thing to do," sitting back down, she thought for a second, "You know, you're probably right about Sid. But I think with a little therapy, he'd be fine."

Callie chuckled darkly, "That's what they all say." She watched for a moment as the credits rolled, then looked over at the blonde, whose head was resting on the arm of the couch. This felt right to her; a gross, snowy day, curled up under a blanket with Arizona watching… to be honest, at this point, she didn't really care what they were watching. She just cared that she felt happy.

As if sensing eyes on her, Arizona lifted her head and gave Callie a small smile, "Do you want to watch the next one? Or not, you don't have to feel like you have to stay over or anything."

Pretending to contemplate, she stretched her hands above her head, "Hmm…" but it didn't last long before she grinned, "Yeah, I want to hang out." Lifting the blanket, she untangled her legs and swung them over the edge, going to get the second movie.

"While you put it in, do you want some lunch? And by that, I mean I will call in takeout from somewhere," she explained with her dimpled smile.

"Sounds good. Pizza?" the Latina asked after putting in the new movie.

Arizona already had her phone pulled out, "On it. Toppings?"

After agreeing on simple pepperoni, they settled back on to the couch, only moving when the delivery boy rang the bell from below. Arizona was already up, reaching for her purse hanging on the arm of a chair, "I got it."

While she ran down, Callie made her way to get plates and drinks. Upon opening the fridge, she literally froze and stared dumbly at the contents until Arizona came back in, "Hey, what are you looking at?"

Slowly, she looked at the blonde, "You have… literally nothing in here but drinks and a few old Chinese food containers. How do you live?"

Sticking out her tongue, she kicked the door to the fridge closed so Callie could no longer look, "Easily. On junk and snack food and takeout," she responded, turning with the pizza box and leading them back into the living room.

Taking the plates and a couple more water bottles with her, she followed, "How are you not six hundred pounds?"

Blue eyes rolled in her direction, "A good metabolism and a love of running. What, do you actually _cook_?" she teased as she flipped open the box and served them both a slice on each plate before sitting back with it on the couch.

With a small laugh, Callie followed suit, sitting back in her spot of only an inch or two away from Arizona, "Um, yes, actually. I will have you know that just because I had an at-home chef in my house, I am still an excellent cook." She reached for the remote and pressed play, watching the movie for a moment before realizing that Arizona was still looking at her. Pausing, she turned her head, "What?"

Arizona tried to wipe the small smile off her face, "Nothing, it's just… my parents and I have this ongoing debate about women and cooking." _And that I need to marry a woman who can cook._ Shaking her head, she looked at the television, "Okay, resume. If Sid from the first one deserved therapy, then Al is a straight up lunatic."

After the second movie ended, they both sat up to stretch, and Callie eyed the last piece of pizza in the box. She was going to go for it, and then she noticed Arizona doing the same. Narrowing their eyes at each other playfully, they both dove in, and the blonde managed to get a hold of the crust first, jumping in victory, holding the slice over her head. "It's mine! It's all mine!"

"Or so you think!" Callie shouted back, and dove forward to grab it.

Leaping backwards, she just managed to avoid Callie's grabbing hands, and she took off running, hearing Callie chase her, as they were both laughing. But as soon as she reached the kitchen, Arizona slipped – bad idea running on the hardwood in her socks – knocking her breath out of her body as she landed unceremoniously on her back, the pizza slice sliding out of her hand onto the floor. Just as she inhaled, still laughing, Callie, who'd been right on her heels, tripped over her feet and fell on top of her.

Breathless after the fall, Callie shifted and became very aware of just how their bodies were pressed together. Looking down, the laughter died on both of their faces. Wide, dark blue – the same shade they were _only_ when they were having sex or about to have sex – eyes stared up at her, the blonde's bottom lip being bit by her teeth. Barely managing to contain a groan, especially at feeling how perfectly flush their chests were against each other, Callie wanted – needed – to bend her head and taste the sweet, pink lips she hadn't tasted in weeks.

She started to inch down her head, feeling Arizona's breath hitch in her chest underneath her, seeing those eyes flutter closed, while anticipation wound tightly in her stomach. She _wanted_ this – Arizona – so badly… but just before their lips were going to touch, she stopped herself. Friends… certainly didn't do this.

She whispered, their lips a breath away from touching, "I should go."

Arizona's eyes fluttered open again, her heart beating wildly in her chest, "Yeah," she whispered, keeping her body dead still as the Latina shifted, as so not make her curves wiggle any more seductively against her own.

As minimally invasive as possible, she pushed herself up quickly to her feet, then bent to offer her hand to Arizona, pulling her up as their palms made contact, fingers holding tightly, "You're okay? From the fall," she clarified.

The blonde swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, you?"

With a small chuckle, Callie awkwardly kicked her foot out, "Yeah, you kind of broke my fall."

"Right," she laughed in the same way, before they fell into one of those silences that they'd been so good to not fall into all day. "Well, I guess I'll see you later. Soon. I mean, no one else is really even staying around for the break, so... Do you want to go ice skating maybe? I really love ice skating, it's something I started when we were stationed in Germany, and -"

With a laugh, Callie interrupted, "Arizona. Yes, we will hang out again soon but not ice skating; I just got off crutches for my ankle, do you want me to have to go back on them?" She asked, slipping on her puffy black winter coat, that she'd had to trade in her leather one for now that the snow had started. "Wish me luck on the brave journey back in this perilous storm."

Looking out the window to see the flakes softly falling, she lifted an eyebrow and grinned, "I think you'll be able to make it. But good luck."

With a final wave, Callie left the blonde's apartment, for the first time, feeling like their relationship might actually be going somewhere, however slowly they might have to go to get there.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I'm enjoying writing this new dynamic, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. **


	12. Steps in the Right Direction

Being with Calliope was like an addiction, Arizona had realized. It wasn't just the physical, sexual aspect that made her think that, as she wanted to believe for so many months. It was just… her. It was the way she cared and the way she laughed, the way she could mock Arizona but not make her feel attacked, and the way she could handle it when Arizona did it right back.

She was starting to think that this whole friends thing was one of her best ideas ever. And they were both doing great jobs at holding back any other kind of urge they might be having. Like when Arizona felt her eyes going to Callie's chest because Calliope had been wearing a shirt that made her cleavage look like it had been heaven sent, she averted her eyes and redirected to the Latina's amused face. Or how, when she'd turned around and caught Callie staring at her ass with a slightly glazed look in her eyes, she'd smiled and made a point to be civilized and adult, even apologizing for looking.

So, being platonic had its ups and downs but it was good, she thought, entering Callie's apartment building's front door. But the more she learned about Calliope, the more the easy lines that friendship painted for them blurred. Because as much as they _were_ simply friends, there was no way she thought of Callie the same way she thought of Teddy. Then again, she wasn't sure she was ready to just take the leap and ask Callie out yet; she needed more time.

Which left them in some sort of weird limbo place – they both knew they weren't just friends because friends didn't picture each other naked every time they hung out, but they knew that they weren't at a stage yet where Arizona felt comfortable going on a date. She was trying to get there, but it was taking a little while.

So they'd been taking it slow. A few days after they'd viewed the first two Toy Story movies, she'd been woken up from Callie calling her, asking if she wanted to go Christmas shopping. She'd gone with her, of course, despite that she'd already had all of her shopping done in October.

Calliope had mocked her for that, she remembered with a smile. Saying, "Oh, you're one of those people," with the most adorable teasing glint in her eyes.

Arizona had gone right back, lifting an eyebrow and clarifying, "One of those people who is well prepared and thinks ahead? Then yes. I am."

She'd been prepared to go to some department stores or a mall; however, Callie knew where she wanted to go and how to get there. They'd gone to several toy stores, buying a little in each one. Not Toys'R'Us toy stores, but the ones that were the one of a kind shops. The Latina had explained excitedly that her sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids were going to visit on Christmas and she had to stock up.

If Arizona had had Callie as an aunt, who that put so much thought and effort into buying the perfect gifts for Christmas, she might have preferred her to her own parents. However, if she had had Callie as an aunt, they would have some weird Oedipal/Elektra once removed complex going on.

Anyway, then they had hunted down jewelry store after jewelry store to find the perfect charm for Calliope's sister. She'd told her about how, when they were younger, there was really nothing big they could buy for one another because of the fact that their parents would buy them whatever. One year, as teenagers, they found charm bracelets at a boutique on the beach, and each bought one, letting the other one pick out a charm.

Since then, every Christmas they would try to find a charm that would distinctively fit one another. "Not just any cute charm you see, it has to mean something. We compete to see who can find the most unique one," Callie told her in an endearingly childlike tone.

Afterward, they'd gone back to finish the third Toy Story, going for the trifecta, and had stopped to get ice cream. She'd laughed at Callie's request because it had been freezing out, but went anyway. From that experience, they had both learned that watching the other woman lick anything was probably a dumb idea.

Feeling a laugh bubble up in her throat at the way they'd both stared as if in a trance at the other one's tongue, then realized they were both doing the same thing, and had pointedly finished while looking anywhere but directly at each other.

Walking to the apartment door with a bounce in her step, she smiled as she heard Christmas music floating through the air. She felt tingles of anticipation as she heard footsteps approach and saw the shadow under the door, for no reason other than the simple fact that they hadn't hung out and barely texted in four days.

But as Callie opened the door, speaking something over her shoulder before looking to see that Arizona was there, the blonde's stomach dropped. There was another person there. Of course, Callie was free to see whoever else she wanted because they were _just friends_, she just… assumed she wasn't because _she_ wasn't.

The look of surprise on Callie's face was enough for her to want to run away, because she was definitely interrupting. "Arizona! Hey," her tone was questioning, but there was a smile on her face.

Feeling stupid, she picked at the slightly peeling paint next to the doorway, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize… do you have a woman here?"

Now Callie had a full-on, wide smile, "Yes…" she waited for Arizona to say something, anything.

But she didn't, couldn't, say much, because disappointment hounded at her. She looked at the ground, biting her lip, before forcing her eyes back to Calliope's dancing brown ones, "I should have texted or called, but I was out for a run because there wasn't any snow, and I found myself a few streets away, and we haven't really hung out in a few days… Anyway, I'm just going to go."

She turned, and shook her head at herself. Really, she had no reason to be mad at Callie. Because they were free to do anything they wanted with anyone they wanted because having friends didn't mean you couldn't have a love life. But she _did_ feel upset, and this was exactly why it was stupid to get romantically emotionally attached. Because the thought of Calliope in there with another woman made her stomach ache; another woman who could give Callie what she deserved and wanted – a relationship, something Arizona wasn't sure she could give her, at least not yet.

Before she could take another step toward the stairs, Callie's hand snagged her around the wrist, "Arizona, wait. Come in."

Shaking her head, she tried to refuse. Except, damn it, she wanted a look at this woman who might be competing in the battle she was trying so hard with herself to win. "I guess, maybe. For a minute."

Letting herself be pulled inside by the warm, soft hand tugging on her, she wished whoever was inside was deformed in some way. Maybe she had some snaggle teeth or was a Cyclops, or maybe she was – completely adorable, Arizona thought as they came into the doorway to the kitchen.

Where a little girl stood on a step stool, holding a mixing bowl that was too big for both of her arms to wrap around. Her hair was as dark as Calliope's, falling in perfect ringlets down to the middle of her back, with a large plastic crown on to top of her head, while she was dressed in a bright pink dress with black leggings. Wide eyes, almost the exact same shade as the grown Latina's looked back at her, with a bright smile taking over her features.

Callie stood between them, with a smirk, "Arizona, this pretty woman is my niece, President Princess Daniela."

Feeling ridiculously foolish, and incredibly relieved, she asked, "President and princess? Wow, that's impressive."

Heaving the large mixing bowl full of batter onto the counter, she hopped off the stool, the crown falling down in front of her eyes. Hastily, she pushed it back up and came to stand in front of Arizona, announcing, "Princesses are pretty and presidents are smart, and I'm both! My name is Dani, and I'm four. Who are you?"

Laughing, feeling charmed, she smiled, "I'm Arizona. Not a princess or a president, and I'm your Aunt Callie's friend."

The little slip of a girl turned on her aunt, "Auntie Callie, you didn't tell me you had any friends!" Without waiting for her aunt to respond, she reached out to take Arizona's hand, tugging down so that the blonde was level with her, "I have a friend at home. Her name is Katie and she has a dog. Do you have a dog?"

"No, but my parents have two cats," she informed the child, who lit up.

"_Two_ cats? My mommy says I can have a kitty or a puppy in a few years but not yet, 'cause they're a big 'sponsibility. Plus we just had the new baby," she nodded, her face taking on a serious, stern tone as she quoted her mom.

With a grave nod, Arizona agreed, "They are a big responsibility. Your mom sounds like a smart lady."

Nodding vigorously, Dani agreed, "She is the smartest lady in the world. 'Cept for Auntie Callie, 'cause she's gonna be a doctor. Are you gonna be a doctor?"

"Absolutely! That's actually how your Auntie and I became friends – we go to school together," she told her, and she could tell that by mentioning school she had just opened herself to a lot more questions from the child, as her eyes positively lit up.

Callie came swooping down, scooping Dani up into her arms and giving her a raspberry on her cheek, pulling away after the little girl let out a squeal of laughter, "You have to get back to mixing the cookie dough, girlie."

Setting the mini-woman down onto the stool again, she took Arizona by the hand and led her into the living room. She didn't know why, but seeing the blonde be jealous, first over Natalie a month ago and then today, before she knew that Callie's company was a four-year-old just made her feel this warmth start in her stomach and then spread. With a smile, she teased, "Someone was a little agitated when they arrived."

Feeling a flush rise from her chest, Arizona folded her arms, "Like you discouraged it."

With a shrug, she managed to keep her eyes away from the blonde's chest that was being pushed outward with the crossing of her arms underneath. For as goddamn hot as the TA was, Callie had managed to do a really good job not staring whenever she'd wanted to in the last few days. "So maybe I made you believe otherwise just for a moment."

They were both quiet for a few seconds because this wasn't an area of their friendship they'd discussed, or really wanted to discuss. Arizona, feeling like it had to be brought up rushed to say, "I mean, we never… you would be allowed to see other women, of course. Because we're friends. And friends support each other."

Ignoring the clenching in her stomach at Arizona's words, Callie nodded dumbly, "Right. Friends. You can, too. Date. Other people." Wanting to slap herself in the face, she seriously had no idea why she couldn't form words like a normal person.

Even though she hummed in agreement, Arizona raised her eyebrow in question. Obviously, she wasn't going to date anyone else – she didn't date. That was the whole reason she and Callie were in this friendship, so maybe she would be ready to date her for real.

Realizing her mistake in words, Callie backpedaled, "Um, or…" the words were stuck in her throat and didn't want to come out. Almost choking on them, she managed to get out, "Sleep with women. Whatever."

The tension in the room was wracked up so high, she hardly knew how to break it. That was, until "Jingle Bells" came blasting on through the speakers of the iHome, and Dani's voice came ringing into the room, as she sang along, occasionally messing up a lyric. Both of them started laughing, and Callie leaned back against the wall, "I meant to tell you when I first pulled you out there, that I'm sorry if Dani came off too strong. She just has a lot to say."

Thinking of her limited time with the child, she grinned, "I noticed. But it's okay. She's cute; she looks like you. And besides, I like kids."

Relieved, because she wasn't entirely certain she could really like someone who didn't like her niece, someone who she generally regarded as a national treasure, she smiled back, "Great! In that case, you are more than welcome to finish making cookies with us, if you want."

Biting her lip, she hesitated, "I don't know, I don't want to impose on your time with her –"

Callie shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. We're friends, you're not imposing. And, in case you couldn't tell, Dani loves new people."

A laugh bubbled up in her throat, "Really? I had no idea." As they made their way back toward the kitchen, Arizona questioned, "I thought your sister was coming up on Christmas Eve?" Which was three days from now.

"That's when they were supposed to come, but Felix's grandmother is in… she's really lonely and she misses him, so they're going to spend the holiday with her," Callie told her, making sure Dani was focused on mixing the contents of the bowl before mouthing "hospital."

Nodding her head in understanding, the blonde moved to stand next to the little girl, whose tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. Noticing that Arizona was beside her, she momentarily dropped the whisk and smiled brightly, explaining, "Auntie Callie says I need to get out _all_ of the powdery parts before we can lay them out and cut shapes out." She reached her hand back down for the handle of the whisk and then remembered something else she wanted to tell her new friend, "_And_ Auntie Callie lets me have a tiny little piece of the dough. My mommy never lets me do that at home, 'cause she says I'll get sam-illa."

"Salmonella," both adults automatically corrected, snapping their eyes to each other as they both blushed a light pink.

Proclaiming loudly, Dani bounced up onto her tiptoes, "That's what my mommy says. But Auntie Callie says that a little pinch won't hurt. And she's gonna be a doctor, so she's smarter than my mommy when it comes to this stuff."

Bumping the girl lightly with her hip, Callie reminded, "But…"

Sighing loudly at her aunt's interruption of her talking to her new friend, she slumped her shoulders, whispering, "But we never tell my mommy that Auntie Callie lets me eat the cookie dough or that she's smarter, and it's not a lie because it's our little secret," she finished with a definite nod, then looked to Callie for confirmation, who gave her a thumbs up, then looked at Arizona.

"Now you're in on the secret too. Do you think you can handle it?" The Latina asked with a sly smile.

"Definitely," she answered, sharing the grin with the woman, before shifting her gaze to the girl, and giving her the same smile. She almost didn't have words to describe how impossibly appealing it was to bake in the kitchen with Calliope and her mini-me.

Though she never would have thought this would be something she would think was an ideal way to spend an afternoon, it was fun. They were in the process of cutting out shapes of the dough and putting them on a cookie sheet, when a cry cut through the air. Arizona jumped, the cookie cutter falling from her hands as she was helping Dani cut out a snowflake, "What the heck is that?"

Both Torres women – though Dani had forcefully reminded her when Arizona had commented on the Torres name before that she was half Torres and half Reyes – laughed at her, and Calliope pointed to the baby monitor she hadn't noticed until just now, as Dani filled her in, "That's Julian! He's my little brother, and he's almost three months old," she said, proudly.

His cries grew stronger and Callie disappeared into her bedroom for a moment, only to emerge a few seconds later with the baby, dressed in a blue onesie, his big, dark eyes sleepy and blinking as they adjusted to the light in the kitchen. His little hands were wrapped around one of Callie's fingers as she bounced him lightly up and down, whispering to him, "Hi big boy. Did you have a good nappy?"

Shifting closer, Dani stroked her finger down his soft cheek, very lightly. His eyes latched onto her face and he smiled a wide, toothless smile in recognition. Puffing her chest out, she looked at Arizona, "I'm allowed to hold him when I use two hands and sit down, really careful."

Stepping closer, Arizona looked down at him, her heart melting. There was something about kids that made her want to admire them, but from a comfortable distance. "He kind of looks like you, too."

Callie joked, "The force is strong. And by the force, I mean the Torres genes."

"Well, they're good ones, so it's more of a gift to everyone else," the flirtatious words slipped out before she could stop them. Biting down on her bottom lip, she looked through her lashes at Callie, who was giving her a blushing, flattered look.

Luckily, Dani was there as a buffer, quickly losing interest in her brother and going back to the cookie dough, taking Arizona's hand and bringing her back, too, "Auntie Callie's sister is my mommy. Do you have a sister?"

"Nope, but I have a brother like you," she reached out to help the little hands pick up the dough and transfer it to the pan, completing the batch. "Only he is older than me, not younger."

Dani reached for the stove to open it, only to have her hand snatched away by Callie's free hand, and Arizona rushed in, slipping the cookie sheet in the oven and closing the door before the girl could even form a pout.

"No touching the stove, Daniela. I know you know that," Callie scolded.

With a stomp, the child moped, "But my daddy says I can touch when I'm a big girl, and I'm a big girl now." When all Callie did was stare her down, she sighed, "Fine."

Callie made eye contact with Arizona as Dani flounced off into the next room, and the blonde gave an amused look, "Sometimes, I'm just so happy that I don't have kids." Realizing that might have sounded kind of really terrible, she shook her head, "I didn't mean… I just meant that while they're cute and funny, it's like you need to have three extra pairs of eyes just to make sure you catch them before they do something like burn themselves on the stove."

She was relieved that Calliope didn't take what she'd said offensively, as she chuckled, "I get it. I mean, I love Dani and this little guy to death, but there is no way I would be ready to raise them full time. Aria and Felix had her when she was twenty and he was twenty-two – _and_ she was planned. It's crazy to me."

"To each his own," she shrugged, with a small smile as Callie held up the squirming baby in the air and made an airplane sound, making him giggle. It seemed she and Calliope were on the same page about things like this – babysitting was good, fun, and had an ending. "Where are their parents, anyway?"

"For Felix's Christmas gift I got them tickets to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. They've been gone for a few hours, so they'll probably be back soon," she said, her eyes flicking to the time on the top of the stove.

As if it were planned, the door to the apartment opened, and Dani's yelps of, "Mommy! Daddy!" echoed around the apartment as if she hadn't seen her parents in years rather than a few hours.

Within seconds, a tall, well-built, well-dressed man came through the doorway, a genuine smile on his face as he settled his daughter on his hip, listening to how she and her Auntie had danced around the apartment singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs and then made cookies from scratch. She played with his impeccably done tie, flipping it around in her hands, as a woman appeared next to the man.

The woman was gorgeous – damn, those Torres genes – with hair and eyes the same exotic shade as Calliope's, her figure slimmer and shorter. Not quite as beautiful as the older sister, Arizona acknowledged, but very close. With a charming smile, Aria ran in to give Callie a hug, smoothly taking Julian in between them for a snuggle before retracting with her son in her arms, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was just what we needed to get away for a little bit."

Lifting an eyebrow, Callie's expression took on a mischievous glint, "I said I would watch them for a few hours, so you guys could slip in some alone time."

"Mommy and daddy time!" Dani exclaimed from her heads' resting place on her dad's chest.

All of the adults laughed out loud, and Aria's smile was just a touch of dirty, "Trust me, we had some mommy and daddy time."

Suddenly feeling awkward, like an intruder on this family time that was clearly very precious and not too often for Callie, she started to back out, tapping on Callie's arm and saying quietly, "I think I'm just going to go home."

Which, naturally, led everyone's gaze to her. Aria was standing in front of her in a heartbeat, a wide, dreamy smile – much like her daughter's – on her face, "I'm sorry, that was really rude. I'm Aria," she offered a hand that wasn't holding her son.

Taking it, Arizona shook briefly before letting go, "I'm Arizona. I just stopped by earlier to say hi –"

"Arizona helped us make cookies! She has a brother," Dani informed her parents.

As Aria's smiled got bigger and bigger, which unnerved the blonde just a bit, Callie was quick to step in, "Yes, Aria. Arizona. My _friend_," her voice was steely.

The man crossed over to them, slipping his daughter down so she could stand on her own feet and reaching a hand across his wife, "I'm Felix, it's nice to meet you. We've heard a lot about you from Callie."

Giving Calliope a glance out of the corner of her eye, she made herself smile. Inwardly, her heartbeat was erratic. What did they hear? Did they hear about how she and Callie had made an arrangement to be sex buddies for months? Did they hear about Callie's obvious feelings for her for months while she'd rebuffed them – however much it was within the limits of their sex agreement to do so? Her behavior toward Natalie? Did they know how good a job they were doing at being friends?

Despite being unsure of what they knew, the smile on Aria's face somewhat put her at ease, "Well, I hope Calliope has told you good things."

"_Calliope_ has told us great things," he assured her, then lifted his son from his wife's arms, bringing their faces together for a snuggle, winking in Callie's direction as she glared at him for the use of her name.

The freeing of her hands allowed Aria to reach out and grab Arizona's, her excitement palpable, "Felix and I have a reservation for dinner tonight; we should call and make it for four and you and Cal can come with us!"

With a groan, Callie took her sister by the shoulders, "Aria, Arizona does not want to go to dinner with us." Lowering her voice just a little so the big ears in the room wouldn't go asking a million questions, she added, "And I told you, we are just friends. No double dating."

Her face serious, Aria nodded, "I know, I know. You two are "just friends" but I still think you should come out. Please, I want some adult time with you, and I want to get to know your friends up here, aside from Mark and Addison."

Callie gave her an apologetic look, "Arizona might be busy. It's up to her."

Feeling all of the eyes shift to her, her face heated up. Looking down at herself, still in black spandex running pants and her pink Adidas running jacket – knowing without looking that her hair was in a messy ponytail – she interlocked her own fingers with each other, "I kind of stopped by after a run. I'm not really ready for a nice dinner, but thanks for the invite."

"You'll have time to go back to your apartment and get ready," Aria assured her, "And besides, you look great. You're hot. Callie's hot. We're hot. We should all go out and be hot together on this cold night, while Jackson – our nanny – watches the kids."

Still feeling hesitant, she looked at Felix who was giving her an encouraging smile, then back at Calliope's sister's beaming face. Giving in, she nodded, "All right. I'll go back now to get ready. It was nice meeting you all."

Dani's voice was the first one to chirp back, "Bye, Arizona! Can we play again before I have to go home?"

She bent briefly to put her hand on the little girl's soft hair, "I don't know if we'll be able to, but I'll try to make it happen."

The little girl accepted the "I'll try" with a sigh that made Arizona think that she wasn't really used to hearing anything but acquiescence, but she was too well-mannered to give attitude to someone who was a relative stranger.

Almost at the door, she felt Callie's distinctive hand close around her fingers. Turning, she looked into those soft brown eyes, "I'm sorry. Aria's hard to say no to, I understand that more than anyone. But if you really don't want to go, I completely get it. And I can tell her to back off, no problem."

But Arizona didn't know exactly what she wanted from this. On one hand, a part of her – the instinctual part of her – said to accept Callie's offer out of dinner because this was meeting the family. And that was a big thing. But the other part of her, though still unsure, was telling her to just go to dinner. If it were Teddy's family going to dinner, she would go, and she felt like if Aria had asked Callie's other friends, they would go. This could be a good thing, for their friendship and possibly even more.

Shaking her head, she gave Calliope a reassuring smile, "No, I'll go. I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! I love hearing them. Thanks for reading!**

**On a side note, I love writing family members in. They're just so fun to me.**


	13. Leaps and Bounds

Brushing her hands along down her sides, Callie smoothed out her dress. It was one of her favorites – smooth black, hanging to her mid-thigh, clinging to her breasts in a scooped neck. It made her look good, sexy. But, she thought as she slipped on a red cardigan over it, it could look more professional, too.

Sexy professional. She knew Aria and Felix, and wherever they were going for dinner would be expensive and formal, and she'd texted Arizona as much earlier so she would be prepared. But she wanted to make sure that she didn't look really hot because she didn't want to freak Arizona out and make her think that she was aiming for this night to be anything like a date.

Then again, she wanted to look good enough that the blonde remembered what she was missing out on and to possibly light the fire under her ass and move her along a little bit. Callie knew they'd made progress, and she was ecstatic with that. Truly, from the warmest part of her soul, she was so, so happy that she was now able to get to know Arizona as a real person, and to know that she was interested in her, too.

But, damn, she wanted her so badly. Her sister had reminded her this afternoon of just how much. Even after running for miles, showing up on her doorstep sweaty and in her workout clothes, Aria had been completely right – Arizona was _hot_.

After the TA had left, Felix had laid Julian back down in the portable crib that had been set up in Callie's bedroom, while they gave Dani a cooled sugar cookie and turned on the Grinch on the television, and they sat in the kitchen.

"God, you weren't kidding, she's gorgeous," Aria had gushed.

Laughing, Callie teased, "Are you sure _you_ aren't gay?"

Aria held tight to Felix's hand, her face still in its practically permanent bright smile, "Well, if I am, it's a little late for me to figure it out."

"Why? Do you have a boyfriend or something?" Felix chimed in, maintaining a serious face until it melted into a smile as Aria pulled him down for a quick, chaste kiss.

Smacking her lips, she shook her head, "Definitely not gay, sister. But I do like Arizona, she seems nice. A little guarded, though."

"Obviously," the older sister commented, rolling her eyes. Aria knew the whole situation between she and Arizona, since the beginning.

As he reached for a cookie, Felix added, "Hey, not everyone can be as open as you two are. The only reason I am is because I've known both of you my entire life. Give her some more time, she's trying. And let's be real, it's not the easiest thing to be with a Torres girl."

Both sisters hit him in the arm, while Aria responded, "Gee, thanks, babe."

Rubbing where they had hit him, he defended, "I'm just trying to offer an outside opinion for the poor girl. And while it's not always easy with the intense emotions and the uncontrollable Spanish ranting when angry, it's worth it. You're both worth it. She'll see that," he assured.

Thankful for her brother-in-law, she leaned forward to kiss his cheek, then rubbed over the spot with her thumb. For all they were good friends, she still had protective older sister instincts, and as far as brother-in-laws could go, Felix couldn't be better. Even back in high school, when Callie had been made fun of because she was the weird girl who chewed on her hair, Felix – who had been popular and athletic – had stuck up for her.

Sighing, she leaned back, "I hope so."

Shortly thereafter, her sister and brother-in-law had departed with the kids, promising to pick both she and Arizona up in their town car around seven. Looking at herself in the mirror, she ran her hands over her hair again. Okay, so it wasn't a date, but she still kind of felt like it was, and there were slight nerves in her stomach.

There was a knocking on her door, which tore her out of introspecting even farther. Looking at the clock, she drew her eyebrows down in confusion – it was only six fifteen. Walking for the door, she peeked out the peephole, spotting the familiar blonde's face looking at the door anxiously.

Unlocking it, she pulled it open, "What are you doing here so early? Aria and Felix aren't going to be here for almost an hour –"

Arizona cut her off before she could get another word out, her voice sounding almost frenzied, "I don't think it's okay if you go out with anyone else! Me, neither, because, well, I don't want to go out with anyone yet but if I did, it would be you. I don't know what I was thinking earlier when I said that it wouldn't bother me if you did, because I don't want you to, at all. That's why we're friends, isn't it? So that I'll be more comfortable and prepared to date you, and if I get there – _when_ I get there –" she corrected herself forcefully, "then you can't go off dating anyone else, so what's the point of even starting to see them now?"

Callie stared at her, feeling her heart slam against her chest as her emotions swirled inside of her in a storm. The blonde was breathing heavily, pacing back and forth on the floor in front of her, her hair straightened to her shoulders, makeup subtly done up. Opening her mouth to respond, she didn't get the chance as Arizona clearly wasn't done.

She drew a hand through her light locks, still pacing as she spoke softly, quickly, as if the words were hard for her to say, "It's just… there I was in my bedroom, stressing out over what to wear. Which I haven't done since the last time I was on a first date, which was years ago, and it hit me that you were doing the same thing, getting all dressed up to go out with me – and your sister – tonight, and that idea made me feel nice. I didn't feel like I needed to pull away from you and I started to get excited for this nondate type date tonight. And then after I got dressed, I thought about how long it's been since I got dressed up to go out with a girl, and then I thought about how you had went out with Natalie last month and how you probably spent time looking good for her. And how terrible that made me feel, and how I didn't actually tell you that I really, really didn't want you to go out with her." She took a moment to take a breath, and fanned herself before nimbly unbuttoning her long, black jacket and hanging it over the chair nearby.

She had to work to keep her mouth from falling open, immediately feeling a clenching in her stomach and a flash of desire slash right through her. The dress was deliberately loose, only just outlining the curves of her breasts and hips, while it hung off one shoulder. The dark blue color made Arizona's look shades darker and impossibly deep.

Barely noticing the Latina's reaction, she rambled on, "So I realized that I made the same mistake this afternoon by saying that it was fine with me if you had other women. And I don't want to keep repeating the same mistakes, not with you, because I'm trying to be different here, that's what this is. What we are. What you are. Different. So in the name of being honest and different, I don't think it's okay if you are dating other people," she finished, her eyes wide, finally looking up at Callie. Stopping her pacing, she let her arms dangle at her sides, feeling very exposed.

Letting a smile creep up onto her face, slowly tugging her lips upward until her face hurt from beaming so hard, "Arizona, I don't want to date anyone else. And I seriously do not want you to sleep with anyone else," tentatively reaching her hands out, she took a hold of Arizona's shoulders, because she was looking extremely nervous.

"This is weird," the blonde admitted, "I feel all weird. Embarrassed for saying all of that, but relieved, too."

Moving her hands down to the soft skin of her arms, Callie rubbed up and down, briefly, before letting her hands drop, "You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. This is a strange situation we're in. We're not quite friends, but we're not quite anything else, either."

With a deep breath, Arizona walked to Callie's couch and dropped down to it, forgetting she was wearing a nice dress and to watch out for wrinkles, "Tell me about it."

Callie went to sit next to her, anticipation gathering in her stomach, "So… does this mean you're ready to go on a date? You know, to be something… more?"

Stiffening, the blonde shook her head, "Not yet. I'm sorry," she muttered, picking nonexistent lint off her lap.

"Don't apologize," she softly reprimanded, though she did feel disappointed, she still had the speech echoing in her mind. And that was definitely more than she thought she would be getting tonight, so she was grateful for that.

For a few seconds they lapsed into silence, both thinking about the last few minutes. Callie knew they really didn't change anything between them, but she couldn't help but feel like they did. And she could see how saying them had made Arizona feel incredibly awkward, so she struggled for something to say that was unrelated to them. Looking at the other woman, her eyes ate her up and she wanted to tell her that she looked amazing, but she didn't want to ripple the water too much. Instead, she commented, "Your hair is damp." She really was so terrible at talking human words when she had to search for something to say.

Arizona reached up to feel it, "And I just straightened it, too," she sighed and nodded toward the window, "It's snowing."

For the first time, Callie shifted her eyes toward the window, then her eyes practically bulged out of her head at the wild flurry outside, "Are you kidding me? This was supposed to be the first day this week without snow, and it looks like a freaking blizzard," she whined, crossing her arms and flopping back onto the couch.

A giggle worked its way out of Arizona's mouth as she turned to see the pout on the Latina's face, "Weathermen obviously didn't see this coming. There was already a couple of inches sticking to the ground when I got here. It looks like it's coming down even harder now."

Before Callie could respond to show her disgust at the weather, her cell phone rang from the bedroom. Getting up, she went to answer it, seeing her sister's name on the ID. She picked it up, her voice glum, "Hey."

Her sister's voice reflected the same tone, "Hey. I really wanted to go to dinner tonight, but have you seen the weather out? We don't want to drive in this," she elaborated.

Callie understood completely. Aria and Felix both lived and were born and raised in Miami. They didn't often drive in snow, and if they did, it was never this much, "No, you guys should stay at the hotel. Be safe."

Aria sighed, "Yeah, we don't want to chance going out when it's like this and leave the kids here. We'll see you tomorrow though?"

"Absolutely," she confirmed, "We're exchanging gifts, right? I have to set up the Christmas tree and get Dani and Julian's presents under it!"

This topic brought her sister's mood up, "Yes! Okay, I'll text you tomorrow. Tell Arizona we're sorry and maybe we'll see her before we go."

"I will. See you tomorrow," she said, getting an identical response for a sendoff, and ended the call. Looking down at her dress, she felt foolish now.

And she had a similarly dressed up blonde sitting in the living room, she remembered, going back out to see Arizona standing with her hands against the glass at the street being coated with snow below. She had a delighted grin on her face, and she looked unbelievably cute. Hating to interrupt the moment, Callie spoke, "That was Aria. She and Felix don't want to go out in this weather."

"You Florida people hating the snow," she teased and turned around, the smile falling off her features, "Well, then, I guess I should go back home."

But Callie really didn't want her to go, and she jumped forward so stop the blonde from putting on her coat, "No! Wait, how about you stay and I'll make us dinner here? I mean, you already got dressed up and everything, and so did I, and we both have to eat. Besides, if you go back to your apartment, all you'll have for dinner is the moldy crumbs in your fridge," she joked.

Though she looked hesitant at first, Arizona slowly nodded and dropped her hand from where it was reaching for the jacket, "You're right. Besides, you look great and that dress would be a terrible thing to waste."

Feeling her face flush at the compliment, she sent the blonde a dazzling smile, "I'm thinking the same about you." They gave themselves a moment, just to look each other over, before dropping their eyes. Callie let the way into the kitchen and opened the fridge, "This is great! There's leftover chicken piccata that I made last night. Do you want it? It's probably my best dish. Not to brag or anything," she winked at Arizona who laughed.

"It sounds delicious," she responded, walking over to observe Callie pull out the food and some plates. Thinking of their canceled plans and of the sister she had met earlier while standing almost in this exact place a few hours ago, she commented, "So you and Aria are close."

Nodding, focusing on plating the chicken and moving the plates toward the microwave, she grunted, "Mhmm."

Family was the one topic Callie rarely spoke about. Aside from the one time she'd talked about her parents' jobs, which had been at Arizona's insistence, she never mentioned them. Curious, but trying not to force the subject or seem like she was prying too much, she leaned against the counter, "So, what are your plans for Christmas? After Felix and Aria leave, that is."

"Umm, nothing, really," she mumbled, thinking of the majestic Christmas tree her parents had decorated – they didn't physically decorate it, the maids did. It was set up in the grand foyer of the house, proudly on display at her parent's annual Christmas Eve party. The microwave beeped in the background and she turned from the piercing blue gaze to retrieve the dinner, saying, "Usually I spend it with my parents. But not this year."

Thinking of the celebration made her eyes water. Damn it, when was she going to stop crying every time she thought about her parents and their traditions? She was sick of it. And she didn't want to cry in front of Arizona. She _really_ didn't want anything resembling her Thanksgiving melt down.

Seeing that Callie was upset, she reached out to rub her back, "I'm sorry. I don't need to know; I don't want to upset you. Let's talk about something else." Arizona reached for the plates and brought them to the kitchen table before asking, "Now, what do you want to drink?"

"Wine?" When Arizona nodded in agreement, she asked, "Red or white?"

"White," the blonde answered, sitting as Callie pulled out a bottle and two glasses, then walked to the table to pour them.

Keeping the bottle out, she sat down and watched as Arizona took her fork and then a bite of the dish. Blue eyes closed, her head tipped back, and a moan ripped through the air. Callie's eyes nearly rolled back in her head and she folded her legs as those eyes snapped open, her expression solemn, "Calliope, this is the best food I've ever tasted."

Pleased, she grinned, "Even as a leftover?"

Arizona snorted, "If it was fresh, I probably would have just died from a bite, so it's a good thing we started off with the older stuff."

Laughing, she reached for her wine and took a big gulp before putting the glass down. Watching Arizona take another bite, she moved her own food around with her fork, "So… what are _your_ Christmas plans?"

Swallowing the delicious food, she answered, "I'm flying down to see my parents. Tomorrow afternoon, actually. I'll be staying down there for almost two weeks."

Callie felt her stomach drop. It felt like two weeks was a long time to spend without hanging out with Arizona, after they'd been spending so much time together recently, "That should be fun… will your brother be there?"

The blonde's fingers tightened briefly on the fork before she shook her head, "No, he, uh, he'll be home from deployment in a few more months."

Sensing the tenseness, she inwardly cursed herself, "I'm sorry, I don't want to put you in a bad mood."

Arizona looked her in the eye, "You didn't put me in a bad mood, Calliope. Tim, he's not any sort of off-limits topic. And besides, I think about him every day anyway."

Relieved, she picked at her food again, then put her fork down, her stomach in knots, "So your Christmas is just with your parents?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, then groaned in appreciation at the food once more before adding on, "We wake up super early and watch A Christmas Story while my mom makes breakfast. When Tim's here for the holiday, he helps. But my dad and I are both helpless in there. Then we do stockings and gifts. For the rest of the day we lounge around – it's pretty much the only day of the year where my dad doesn't have a plan for the entirety of daylight hours."

Callie nodded, stewing in her own thoughts while Arizona sipped at her wine and watched her over the top of the glass. Finally just deciding to ask, the Latina let her fork drop to the plate rather than play with it, "How did your family take your coming out? I mean… your dad and brother are in the military, isn't that an issue there?"

Sensing there was more behind this question than simple curiosity, Arizona set down her wine and thought back to the time almost a decade ago. Because Callie seemed to still be upset and this was most likely the reason, Arizona forced herself to be as honest as possible, "Well, until we moved to Virginia when I was sixteen, even I didn't know I was gay. You're right, I did grow up on marine bases, and homosexuality was never really discussed. I think that might be why I never really realized that I was a lesbian, until I met… my first girlfriend."

She could see Joanne in her head, the way she saw her when she was sixteen, and she sighed. Life was so much easier then, "I mean, I had never been attracted to boys, but I just thought it was one of those "late bloomer" type deals. And then I saw her, and I knew without a hesitation that was it. It all made sense, my obsession with Cindy Crawford, why the boys – the ones who had dared to hit on me despite Tim and the Colonel – were always so easy to turn down… that was when I knew I was gay." Every time she thought back to how infatuated she'd been with Joanne upon first sight, she wanted to go back and slap herself in the face.

Callie observed her as she spoke, as the blonde became more introspective, murmuring the last bit of her sentence. This wasn't an area they'd ever talked about before, and she felt like Arizona had her own issues. Prompting, she asked, "So how did you tell them?"

Her voice seemed to jar Arizona out of her thoughts and she jumped slightly, "Right. Well, I told my brother first. He was my closest friend, and I knew no matter what, that he would always stick by me. Even then, I practiced this whole speech and everything. But when I went to tell him, I had this whole big lead up to the reveal, and he just cut me off and said "You're into girls, aren't you?" I was shocked. But apparently, he'd seen me kissing my friend, and he put two and two together. And even though I knew he would stick by me, the way his face lit up into a smile... I'll never forget how that made me feel. Then he talked me into telling our parents. We were both doubtful as to how the Colonel was going to take it, so I decided to tell my mom first."

Listening, she sat on the edge of her seat. The story wasn't suspenseful – she knew it all worked out in the end. But maybe because of her own experience, she needed to know someone else's. Arizona was really the only woman she'd ever asked for the story. Nodding, she picked up her wine, "How did she take it?" she asked and finished her first glass, pouring herself a second and putting it to the side.

Thinking back, she leaned far back into her chair, "Really great. I came home from school one day when she was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. My dad wasn't home yet, so I thought it was a perfect time. I just came up behind her and kind of blurted it out." With a smile, she shook her head, "She didn't even pause cutting up the carrots and just said, "I know, hon. But thanks for telling me." And then she paused and gave me a hug, and that was that. I was thrilled, but telling my mom meant that I had to tell my dad the same day."

Leaning forward, Callie bit her lip, "And?"

Arizona nodded, "And I told him that day. I sat on the stairs waiting for him to come home; Tim was standing right behind the door, and he was prepared to flip out if something went wrong. My dad just gave me this questioning look and asked if there was something wrong. I said, "No, but I'm gay." He… well, he looked like I had punched him in the stomach. And then he asked, stone faced, one question. I was prepared for, "How fast can you get out of my house?" but instead, he asked, "Are you still the daughter I raised you to be?" In shock, I said of course. He gave me a small smile, and patted me on the shoulder. It was weird," she remembered, "for a few days, things felt… different. I knew he had his ideas about the way things should be, but he changed them, for me." The thought still made her feel like she needed to call her parents and thank them just for being her parents.

A sad smile danced around Callie's lips and she reached for her wine glass, drinking half of it down and swirling the rest, looking at it, "That's nice. Your parents really love you," she whispered, her voice breaking despite her every attempt to make it remain steady.

Debating letting the subject go, Arizona decided that she couldn't, and she reached out to take the Latina's soft hand in her own, "What about you? Just… let it out. Just tell me."

And she wanted to, she found, which was surprising. Because she hadn't wanted to talk about her parents in… months. Downing the rest of her glass, she cleared her throat, "Well, it was this past summer. During the Fourth of July, which is a big day for the Torres'. I brought my girlfriend – my first ever girlfriend, Erica – home. My parents didn't know she was more than a friend. And I intended to keep it that way, at least for a little while, until I could figure more things out. My parents are really religious, very strict Catholics," she clarified, feeling the anger rise inside of her, tangling with her sadness. Because _real_ religion was about loving everyone, not the way her parents were treating her.

She could already see where this story was going, and she felt sympathy already stir, as she asked quietly, "So how did they find out?"

With a humorless laugh, she explained, "I was kissing her in the backyard. It was almost midnight, and we were in the rose gardens; I didn't think anyone would be awake, let alone out there. But I was wrong. Because both of my parents were taking a late night stroll together, and just happened to stroll upon us. I tried to apologize – or explain – or something. I don't know. But before I could even get a word out, my mother was breaking down into tears, screaming in Spanish about how terrible everything was. My dad just walked away."

Tears sprang to her eyes, just picturing the scene. Her mom's broken voice about how her oldest daughter was going to go to hell and how there would be no forgiveness, but mostly the vision of her daddy, the one person who had always been there for her, literally turning his back and walking away from her.

Arizona's hand found hers again, and she stroked a thumb over the back of her hand, which encouraged her to continue, "When I got back to the house, my father had already called the priest at our church to make an emergency visit to the house immediately. He told me he was withdrawing me from Harvard Med and that I would go to the University of Miami, where my mom could keep an eye on me. When I refused, both the transfer and seeing the priest, he told me he would cut me off. From his money to pay for school, from any trust find I would ever have, and from him," her voice was almost intelligibly hoarse at this point, and to clear it, she drank some more wine.

The blonde's hand tightened over hers, "Oh, Calliope, no."

"Oh, yes," she corrected, continuing, "I couldn't just give into him. I mean, he was supposed to be there for me, to support me, to _love_ me no matter what. I didn't know there were strings attached. So I walked away from him." She sometimes wasn't even sure that was the right choice. No, she knew it was. But it was so hard. "We used to talk every single week. But not since then."

It was heartbreaking, to see the tears glisten in chocolate brown eyes, and Arizona thought about Thanksgiving. It was probably a reaction to not being with her family. Wanting to give her a hug, she didn't know if that would be too awkward… but then she watched as the tears slipped down tan cheeks, and she gave in, tugging on Calliope's hand and making them both stand before pulling her in.

Running a soothing hand up and down her back while the taller woman's body shook, she whispered, "But you have Aria still."

Her head nodded, pressed against the bare, pale neck, "Yeah. She's been great. My parents told her about me and Erica, and she called me the next day. I thought, maybe, she was going to flip out at me. And she did, but only because I didn't tell her myself." Making herself stand up straight and pull away from Arizona's comforting embrace, she told herself it was for the better. She didn't want to feel Arizona pressed against her, unless it was for better reasons. "Aria really is the best sister I could have ever wanted. After my dad cut me off, drained every account he'd ever set up for me, I had nothing. No money to live here, no money to pay for school; nothing. Aria pays for all of this," she gestured around them.

Arizona raised her brows in surprise and admiration. She hadn't disliked the younger Latina earlier, but she didn't know entirely what to make of her. But she clearly had great character, "You two are lucky you have each other for sisters."

Callie grinned, sniffling her tears back at the same time, "I know. I told her what daddy did and I was so worried about how I was going to just _live_, and she called me an hour later to say that she had just put my name on her trust fund. They were officially ours when we got married or turned thirty," she explained, "So, there was no way our parents could stop her. And whenever I try to thank her, she just tells me that she's not doing anything, because it's rightfully my money, too."

God, she did have a great sister, she thought. Just… really crappy parents. Who she missed. And wanted to spend Christmas with.

Seeing the emotions run across Calliope's face, Arizona reached for the remainder of the bottle of wine, "Okay. We are going to drink some wine and dance around to cheery Christmas music until you can drink and dance out this bad mood."

She followed the blonde to the living room, watching as she toned her radio to a station, Christmas music blasting through the speakers. Watching as Arizona tipped her head back and chugged a bit from the bottle, she felt herself smile a little bit. Arizona Robbins was turning out to be remarkable.

Two hours, two bottles of wine, and too many Christmas carols to count later, they both collapsed onto the couch in a fit of giggles. She looked at Arizona, whose eyes just fluttered closed and her breathing started to even out, and before she could think twice about the words, she heard herself say, "Stay the night."

Those incredible eyes snapped open, wide, "Calliope, we –"

She could feel her face heat up in a blush, "I didn't mean like that. I meant like I can sleep on the couch, or something, and we'll both be wearing pajamas. Because we're both a little buzzed and it's snowing so hard you can barely see two feet in front of your face. Plus, you're so tired your eyes are drooping, so –"

Arizona giggled and put her hand on Callie's arm, "Okay."

Still feeling flustered, she asked, "O-okay?"

She turned her head so that their faces, leaned against the back of the couch, were inches apart, "You're right. I've been drinking and I'm sleepy, which probably doesn't bode well for a walk home in this weather. And besides, friends have sleepovers."

Feeling anticipation and excitement – even though this was just a sleepover not like a "sleepover" and she stood, "Come on, I can give you some clothes to wear."

Arizona followed her into the bedroom and she started to go throw her drawers. With a hiccup, the blonde's voice spoke from behind her, "This is the only time I've been in your bedroom and not because of… well, you know."

She let out a nervous laugh and handed Arizona a soft, faded Harvard shirt she'd had since undergrad, "Do you want pants or shorts?" her voice sounded incredibly calm, and she was proud of herself.

"Shorts. I can't sleep in pants, I don't really know why, but –" Arizona started to ramble.

With a small smile, she cut her off by handing her some shorts, "I get it. I can't sleep in pants, either." Taking a pair for herself and a shirt, she started towards her bathroom, then paused. "Um, y-you can take my bed. I'll be fine on the couch."

Arizona stared at her like she was crazy, "Calliope, there is no way sleeping on that couch would be comfortable for you. It's way too small and I'm shorter; I'll take it."

Shaking her head, Callie refused, "I'm not going to make you spend the night on the couch."

Blue eyes darted toward the bed, then back at brown ones, "Okay, well if I'm not letting you sleep on the couch and you're not letting me sleep on the couch… why don't we both share your bed?" She rushed out her words, "I mean, it's a queen size, and there's more than enough room for both of us on there, comfortably, without even touching."

Slowly, she nodded, "Okay. You're right. You're absolutely right. We're both adults, and we have self-control. The bed it is. I'm just going to get ready," she gestured at the bathroom before walking in and closing the door.

Sharing a bed with Arizona, she thought, her heart beating erratically. Despite sleeping together for months, the blonde never stayed the night, obviously, because it was against her rules. But she could spend the night tonight, because they were friends. After brushing her teeth and changing into her pajamas, she looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair. All right. This was it.

Opening the door, she was about to ask, "Which side of the bed do you want?" but the words died on her lips as Arizona was already fast asleep, in the middle of the bed, on top of the blankets, as if she'd been waiting for Callie, but couldn't stop herself from falling asleep.

She took a moment to watch her; Arizona was curled onto her side, her hands in loose fists and resting right under her chin, as if she was snuggling into them. Her face was so at peace… she was adorable, Callie thought, making her way over to the side where Arizona's back was facing, managing to shift the comforter down enough so it slipped from under the blonde.

Sliding in, she pulled the blanket over both of them, and reminded herself of no touching. So she laid on her side, looking at Arizona's slowly rising and falling back, on the edge of the bed. If she moved one wrong inch, she was off the bed and onto the floor. Yeah, this wasn't going to work for her.

Shifting forward, she made her way slowly toward the middle, still on her side. And then stopped herself. They still weren't touching; but she was close enough that if she moved even two inches closer, she'd be the big spoon. Wisps of blonde hair were right next to her face on the pillow, and, unable to stop herself, she turned her head into them, breathing in the fresh scent. Slowly, she brought her hand up to lightly touch them.

Her golden hair was so soft; she loved touching it, though this was the first time she'd ever been able to do so softly, reverently. Okay, this was definitely not friendly, she reprimanded herself, and moved her arm back down. As soon as they weren't touching at all, Arizona let out a small whimper. The sound dug right into Callie, and she hesitantly brought her hand up to rest on Arizona's arm.

She shouldn't move anymore. It certainly wouldn't be in the name of friendship, but she couldn't help it. For months of wanting to cuddle with Arizona, her opportunity was finally here. Who knew when she could get it again? As lightly as she could, she slid her arm so it draped over Arizona's waist and inched impossibly slowly until she could feel body heat against her front. Not completely pressed against her, because how could she explain that tomorrow morning?

Closing her eyes, she breathed in that smell again, Arizona's smell and her body relaxed. As she started drifting off, she felt movement and her eyes snapped open, as the blonde's body, still deep, even breathing – still sleeping – turned to face Callie. Her breathing stopped while her heart pounded and Arizona's face pressed into where her neck met her shoulder while her arm threw itself over Callie's hip and her leg tangled itself between Callie's automatically hooking their ankles.

Warmth coursed through her veins as she could feel the blonde's level breaths exhale against her skin, and her arm tightened around the slim waist. Arizona sighed and she felt a smile tug at her lips. She would love to get used to this.

* * *

**Tell me your thoughts! I can't believe this is my longest chapter so far... the more I write this story, the more I love writing it. Thanks for reading.**


	14. Together

She had a long, tanned, deliciously curvy body on top of her, hands running over her body, tugging on her nipples in _just_ the right way. A whimper rolled out of her mouth, as she continued to work herself against a toned thigh, rolling her hips as it worked into her center. Those hands on her breasts tugged, just a little too hard, making her breath rush out in pained pleasure, when she heard the husky voice belonging to the Latina say, "Arizona."

God, she loved it when Calliope said her name, and her voice sounded even better right now. She heard her name again, just as the thigh between her legs pressed a little harder and she gasped. Then she was confused, because she could feel Callie's lips working at her neck, so how was her voice saying her name?

As a moan tore from her throat, she was thrust into consciousness. She opened her eyes to see concerned brown ones staring down at her. Breathing heavy, she remembered the past night and how she'd slept over in Calliope's bed. Warm, comfy Calliope's bed, with a warm and comfy Calliope.

And that amazing sex they'd just been having, had been a dream, she realized, dropping her head down to where it had apparently been resting on the Latina's shoulder. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized that while it had been a dream, it felt very, very real, and she bit her lip – _hard_ – realizing that her center was extremely wet and she was primed and ready to jump off the edge.

Callie's voice was right next to her ear, "Arizona?"

Then the body she was wrapped around moved just a tiny bit, Callie's thigh in reality not in dreamland, moving against her, sparks shooting through her body. Groaning, she dug her hands into Calliope's hips, stopping any movement, and grinded her teeth together, "Don't. Move."

Holy crap, she was already on the edge of an orgasm. Her body was starting to shake, just feeling the Latina's body all around her, smelling her, and shit, that leg that she had hers wrapped around just fit so perfectly there. Perfectly pushing against her clit, even through the shorts she was wearing. Trying to will herself to calm down, her breath hissed out between clenched teeth.

Callie remained motionless for the most part, all except for her hands, which ran down the blonde's back, making her shudder. Her voice, gravelly from sleep, bellied her worry, "Is something wrong? I just woke up and you were whimpering, and you have goose bumps. You're shaking – you look like you're in pain."

That leg shifted again, as Callie tried to readjust them, and a moan ripped from her throat as her eyes squeezed tightly closed, her hands tightening like vice grips on those hips. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper as she shook her head rapidly against Callie's neck, trying to keep her body dead still, "Not pain. Definitely not pain."

She started to move again, to pull both of them into a sitting position, only stopping as muscled legs trapped hers in between them, "Then what –"

Callie was cut off by a drawn out whimper. God, that _voice_ was not helping, she thought, desperately trying to hold on to her last semblance of sanity. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, "Shit," she gasped out as Callie moved once more, just a fraction of an inch, but it was in just the right spot against her bundle of nerves, and her hips bucked, out of her control, seeking more friction.

It was all downhill from there, and Calliope's leg moved again – her jumbled thoughts thought maybe it was on purpose this time – but then she didn't think at all. Her ankles locked together around Callie's, pulling her leg tight against her core, as she jerked against it. Those sparks that had shot through her body earlier exploded, and she came in a burst of whimpers and groans.

When she finally finished, she melted into Callie's body bonelessly, whispering, "Calliope," as she pressed her face into her shoulder, breathing in her scent, her body quaking in occasional aftershocks.

Embarrassment ran rampant through her body and she was glad to hide her burning face against the caramel skin. Her voice was muffled against it, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…" she had just come. Against Calliope's leg. Because she'd been having a wet dream about her. In her bed. Where she was sleeping. Because they were trying to be friends.

Callie hadn't moved her leg from where it was pressed against now damp shorts, while both of her hands stayed splayed on Arizona's back. Her voice was drawn tight, "Don't apologize. Really, really don't apologize."

Forcing herself to shift, so that her face was looking at Callie's, she could feel how tense the Latina was. Pushing herself up on her hand, she looked around, "But I feel like I should. I just had an orgasm against your leg, against your will, and –"

Callie let out a deep laugh, "Did I just feel like I wasn't willing? Come on. I appreciate you telling me that you feel you need to apologize… but all _I_ feel like right now is that I want to kiss you."

It went against what her logical mind was telling her to do, but her eyes dipped to the beautiful, plump lips. Lips that she had felt working magic against her neck in her dream, only minutes ago. "Then do it," she whispered.

In a flash, the hands that were on her back zipped up, fisting in her hair and pulling her down, so their lips clashed. Feeling Calliope's tongue outlining her bottom lip made her moan, reflexively giving her access. Their tongues slid against each other, and her hands inched up from cotton covered hips, so her thumbs traced the soft skin that peeked out from between the pajama bottoms and the worn shirt.

She didn't know how far she was allowed to take this, though, despite just coming against her thigh… then she felt a groan rumble out from Calliope's chest as she felt her hand shoot from her hair, down to her ass, then grip hard.

Arching into the touch, she slid her hand under the fabric, and went straight up to cup a breast. She nipped at the tip of Callie's tongue before drawing her mouth away, letting out a moan, as her fingers reached up and felt a hard nipple underneath them. God, these breasts. She was positive, after not being able to touch them for a month, that there was nothing on this earth that was better than these breasts.

She let out another moan as Callie's hand on her ass squeezed, then pushed her up so that her mouth could lay claim to Arizona's neck. _Just like the dream_, she thought, her eyes rolling back as they found a spot that Calliope had been able to find and exploit since October, when they'd just been sex buddies.

And now they were supposed to be friends and taking things slow. Her fingers tweaked the nipple under her fingers, feeling Callie buck up into her. This was not friend activity, nor was it taking things slowly.

Running her thumb one last time around the areola, she exhaled loudly into the air and pulled her hand out of the Latina's shirt, her voice ragged as she said, "We shouldn't be doing this."

Callie bit at that spot before drawing her head back, making her hands drop from the tight butt they were resting on, panting out, "You're right. This is probably a little _too_ friendly."

She rolled over, so they were no longer touching at all, and cursed herself. They had made it a month without doing anything. A whole month. And it was down the drain, all because of a stupid dream and her, and Callie's, lack of control thereafter. Looking up at the alarm clock on the bedside table, she saw that it was only just past three in the morning.

Callie's fingers twisted the comforter that was still over both of them, and Arizona knew she didn't know where to go from what they'd just done, either. She was certainly at a loss, and she sighed, her voice breaking out into the darkness, "I think I should go."

But Calliope's voice stopped her, "Wait, no. We should talk about this. You leaving is what you did when we just had sex and that was it. This can be different. This was a… mistake. It was no one's fault – you had a dream, and that's what set everything in motion. Neither of us is at fault here. We can forget it happened."

Tentatively, she added in, "It was a relapse."

"Right," Callie agreed, her voice sounding surer. "So, you don't have to leave. It's the middle of the night; we can just go back to sleep and wake up in a new day."

Looking to her left, Arizona watched as Callie settled down again, pulling a pillow under her head, watching her. So, the last few minutes didn't have to change or ruin anything, she reasoned with herself. They would wake up in the morning and it could be as if what had just happened was like a dream.

Sinking down lower, she laid on her back and looked at the darkened ceiling, then turned her head to see that those deep brown eyes were still on her, "Are you going to be able to fall back asleep?"

Callie nodded with a sly smile – they'd talked about how she could pretty much sleep anytime, anywhere, through anything, "I was wondering the same about you."

Stretching out her arms, she turned so she was on her side facing the brunette, "I'm not sure," she admitted, "Usually it's pretty hard for me to fall asleep in beds that aren't my own."

Lifting a brow, the Latina teased, "You didn't seem to have any problem with it before. You were out like a light."

"I was buzzed and sleepy!" she defended, narrowing her eyes playfully. And she felt immensely relieved because this felt like the same cadence of friendship they'd developed, and it confirmed that it wouldn't be thrown off by their little hookup. Her legs felt restless and she crossed them at the ankles, "Normal times, when I'm just tired enough to be able to fall asleep, it's difficult unless I'm really comfortable."

Brown eyes were already hooded as she reached out her hand to hover in front of Arizona, "Give me your hand."

A little confused, she complied and slid hers into the Latina's, who used it to roll her onto her side and bring them so they were touching once again. Before Arizona could question what she was doing, Callie's arm came around her waist and she rested her chin on top of Arizona's head, and her voice was starting to slur from sleep, "This is comfortable."

The blonde felt a little smile come up onto her face, distinctly feeling how Callie made sure not to entangle their legs. This was her favorite way to cuddle, and she only hesitated for a second before draping her own arm around Calliope's waist and putting her forehead back down, against Callie's shoulder. It _was_ comfortable, she noted, letting her eyes close, feeling very at-home. What had just happened didn't have to mean or change anything. It was good, she thought, drifting off.

Three hours later, sunlight assaulted her eyes, waking her up. Muffling a groan against the shirt her mouth was pressed against, she squeezed them tighter closed. At her apartment, she had blackout curtains to keep the sun out, but apparently, the sunlight didn't bother Calliope in the slightest.

Oh, well. She was used to waking up with the sun, as the Colonel had woken her up every single day of her childhood prior to seven AM. Blinking a few times to adjust to the light, she found that waking up a few hours ago, she felt extremely well rested.

In sleep, Callie had shifted so that her mouth was against Arizona's forehead, and the blonde felt every warm exhale against her skin. Shifting back slightly, she looked at the Latina's face. She was so incredibly gorgeous, Arizona could hardly even believe it.

In a move she wouldn't dare to make if the taller woman was awake, she lifted her hand and lightly traced one finger down a soft cheek, then back up. Over the bridge of her nose, then landed on the spot right under her eye, where her long lashes cast light shadows on the caramel. With a smile, she watched as Callie's face twitched a little, but remained asleep.

Not wanting to disturb her, she removed her hand and brought her head back down to the position it had been in. Their earlier waking up hadn't been quite so… peaceful. And right now, she just had time to feel how it felt to be held again. She hadn't woken up with someone else's arms around her, snuggled up to her, in about two years.

And she hadn't even thought about how much she'd missed it. She didn't know if it was because the person holding her was Calliope or if she just missed the act in general… but she had a sneaking suspicion that the Latina had something to do with it.

Cuddling in just a little bit closer, she took a look over Callie's shoulder at the clock. 6:33. Her flight down to Virginia was at eleven. Though she had mostly everything packed, she still had to plan to be at the airport about two hours early, and she had to get back to her own apartment to finish packing the necessities and shower, get dressed.

She had to leave. As stealthily as she could, she tried to slip out from under Calliope's arm to prepare. But the surprisingly strong arm tightened and she looked up to see Callie's eyes, barely open, looking down at her, "Where are you going at six thirty in the morning?"

"I have to go back to my apartment and get ready for my flight," she explained, but made no farther attempt at moving.

Callie, however, did, lifting her arms away from the blonde and stretching, then melting back onto the bed. After laying there for a moment, she pushed herself up, "Well, then, I'll make you some breakfast real quick."

Watching those toned legs – so, so well-toned, she thought, flushing – stand and walk over to the dresser, she found herself nodding, "Sounds good to me."

A moment later, Callie threw a pair of blue sweatpants at her, "For the walk back to your apartment," she explained before disappearing out of the room and into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

Staring at the pants, Arizona just shook her head with a small smile, reminded that she was still wearing Callie's clothes. Getting out of the bed – which she'd never really had the time or inclination to appreciate exactly how comfy it was despite the many times she's been in it before now – she pulled down the shorts, still feeling a little embarrassed, despite how normal Callie was about everything. These would definitely have to be washed, she thought, dropping them into the Latina's hamper.

Keeping the Harvard shirt on, she pulled up the soft pants, then rolled them at the waist to make up for the height difference. As she'd done every day for her entire life, before leaving the bedroom she'd woken up in, she turned to make the bed; corners so tight and neat you could bounce a quarter off of them.

When she walked out into the main living area, she could already hear Callie in the kitchen. Approaching her, she stopped in the doorway and crossed her arms, leaning against it to watch. For some reason, she found it insanely hot that Callie knew her way around the kitchen like the back of her hand, even when – perhaps especially when – she had her hair still not brushed, just thrown into a low ponytail, her feet still bare.

Spotting the blonde, Callie smiled, albeit sleepy, "I forgot to ask – do you like French toast?"

"Love it," she answered, still watching her.

It wasn't until she was sitting at the table after pouring them both orange juice, watching as Calliope flipped the toast in the skillet before her heart stopped and the realization dawned on her. She was sitting here, in Callie's kitchen while she made her favorite breakfast food, after spending the night. She was wearing Callie's clothes, for God's sake, and they'd snuggled throughout the night, except for the brief interlude where they'd made out and…

What was she waiting for? She was already _here_; they were already doing exactly what she felt like she wasn't ready to be doing, without her even realizing it. And it didn't feel frightening. It felt like she really wanted to have more mornings like these.

Callie's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "Arizona? You look like… really stunned. Are you all right?"

She looked down to see that there were already two French toast filled plates on the table before looking up into Callie's big brown eyes. Swallowing hard, she nodded and waited for the Latina to sit down before she said, "I know we said that last night wouldn't change anything. But it does."

Callie froze, and her head whipped up so she was staring into Arizona's eyes, "But we didn't… not really. And it was neither of our faults, remember?" With a deep breath, she picked at the napkin next to her plate, "I can't just sit here and say that it'll be fine with me if we go back to being barely even friends. Like awkward acquaintances. I feel like I've been waiting for you for over a semester, and I'm happy to do whatever it is we're doing, as long as we're still making progress. But I can't keep being here, with you, like this, if we're always going to be taking two steps back."

Shaking her head, she reached across the table to still Callie's hand, "No. I don't mean change things in that way. I mean, it changes them in the opposite way. What I've been so afraid of, of opening up to someone and actually _being_ with them; we're already here, doing it. And last night… well, last night just confirms it. Neither one of us thinks we're just friends, Calliope. We should just call this what it is, right? We're together."

Callie was pretty sure her heart stopped and she stared in a sort of daze into warm blue eyes, "We are?"

Arizona felt her face turn into a smile, "We are. I mean, I…" The words stuck in her throat, but she knew it was now or never, "I always want to be with you, when we aren't. I changed my running route so I can come by here and see if you're around. And I feel comfortable with you, but at the same time you make me feel butterflies. That's what being together should mean, right?"

Still feeling surprised, she nodded faintly, "Right. I feel the same things." She flipped her hand, so that their palms were touching and she could entwine their fingers, "So. This is it. We're actually together? Not sex buddies, not friends… but together, like a couple?"

Her own heart was pounding, in a way that it felt like she just leapt off a cliff but the landing hadn't been nearly as bad as she might have expected it to be, "Yes. A couple," she words slipped off her tongue and they tasted surprisingly good. There hadn't been an Arizona and anyone else in a long time, but Arizona and Callie sounded like it had a lot of potential to her. "I can't promise everything will be good while we date, because I still have all my issues," she admitted, her thumb swiping over the soft back of her hand, feeling Callie's fingers tighten around her own.

"I don't expect everything to be perfect," Callie promised, sending her a small smile, "And I have my own baggage."

While they picked at their French toast – which was freaking amazing, and Arizona was positive that Callie's cooking was enough to make her the ideal woman without any of the other amazing attributes she brought to the table – their hands stayed interlocked and they made small talk, both lost in thoughts about what doors were finally opened up to them.

She would be lying if she didn't have nerves and doubts swimming around in her, Arizona acknowledged, but if she didn't take the leap now, she never would. This was the first time in so long that she woke up feeling like everything was going to be good. Like her love life wouldn't always feel hopeless and torn apart, because Callie didn't make her feel hopeless and torn apart. She was sure there was no other time that might happen for the two of them where she would feel more certain than she did now, and she was going to take advantage of it.

Looking at the clock on the stove, she and took one last bite of her breakfast, "It's already almost seven thirty; I really do have to go get ready."

The Latina sighed heavily before letting go of Arizona's hand and standing up, her voice with a distantly wistful tone, "We barely just became a real couple who goes on dates and you're leaving for two weeks."

She didn't particularly want to leave Calliope for two weeks right now, either, but she wanted to see her parents for the holidays. And despite taking the step to be with Callie for real, she didn't think she was ready to collide her world with the Latina to her world with her mother and father. That was way too far, too fast. "I know. But I'll see you when I come back and we can talk while I'm gone and then… we can go on our first official date."

"A yammoe!" Callie exclaimed with a bright grin.

Laughing, she nodded, "Yes." A real date with a woman was something that still made her nervous to think about yesterday. It still did. But, here she was, because it wasn't really any woman - it was Calliope. Glancing at the clock again, she looked around for her jacket.

Only to find herself spun around and walked backwards until her back pressed against the wall, feeling Callie's mouth suddenly only centimeters away from her own as her breath hitched. Calliope whispered, "You know what I'm really, really excited for, besides a date?"

She whispered back, "I could take a guess," licking her lips as she felt Callie's breath against them, "But why don't you show me?"

It was all it took for full lips to be pressed against her own, devouring her, and she shuddered, sucking Calliope's tongue into her mouth, caressing it with her own. Swallowing Callie's moan, she let one out herself. Damn, she was really, really excited for this part too.

She tore her mouth away, nipping at the tan skin of her jaw, twice, on her way to Callie's earlobe, drawing it into her mouth, while Callie let out another moan. Drawing back, she blew a cool breath on the lobe and whispered into her ear, "I really do have to go."

The Latina nodded, her hands scratching down Arizona's side, eliciting goose bumps, "Right. Okay. You're leaving."

"Mhmm," she hummed back, bringing their lips back together, tasting her once more before pulling away and using her hands on Callie's hips to make her take a step back so they could both clear their heads. Watching Calliope lick her lips almost made Arizona forget her plane and drag them both back to bed. Except, they couldn't do that, "I'm getting on my coat, and going back to my apartment," she stated, but it took her a moment before putting her plan into action.

Callie watched as Arizona's long black jacket was completely buttoned up, and loved seeing her own sweatpants come out on the bottom. Because she and Arizona were going to be together. Date-going type together, she thought, giddy, unable to take the smile from her face.

Arizona reached for her purse and turned back to Callie, her own smile in place, "I'll see you in two weeks," she promised.

The taller woman shrugged it off with a teasing smile, "I've waited this long for you, I think I can wait two more weeks." Two weeks. It was fourteen days; 336 hours. All she could think was that she could sense the payoff would be well worth the wait.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! To be honest, this wasn't where I had planned to take this chapter, but with Arizona's realization came my own, so it happened. This story pretty much writes itself! Thank you for reading.**


	15. Two Weeks

Two weeks really wasn't that long… but it felt like it was. And it was almost over, Arizona thought with a sigh, leaning her head against the railing on her parents' house front porch, holding a mug of coffee in her hands.

It had been a long time since she'd been home, almost five months since she'd left in the summer. And it felt like nothing here had changed. Their neighborhood was quaint, where everyone on the street knew each other, and was up in each other's business. She smiled at the group of women powerwalking by as they all waved at her.

Next to her, her phone buzzed and she looked down, picking it up with a smile, "I find it very surprising that you're up this early, Calliope."

The Latina's voice in her ear was wide awake, despite it being just before nine in the morning, "I couldn't sleep," she admitted, "Because I'm really, really excited for you to come back tonight."

"I am, too," she confessed, then pulled her light jacket tighter around her. It was surprising how much she really was excited. After leaving Callie's apartment two weeks ago, she'd felt good. Happy. That feeling lasted through her flight home, until she had laid in the bed of her teenage years in her parents' house, looking out the window, at the house next door. Joanne's house.

Which was when the panic had set in. In one fell swoop, she'd just let go of all of her reservations and her very real anxiety over what being part of a couple meant. Relying on someone else – trusting them – and being relied on in return. It meant being open with them and expecting them – trusting them – to be open right back. It was something she'd avoided for so long and in just one morning, because she'd had an epiphany, she threw her doubts out the window.

But it wasn't like she could just call Callie on Christmas Eve and tell her, "Hey, I know you're so excited for us to be together and that I just let you get your hopes up and got my own up, but I'm backing down now because I'm afraid."

No, that was something she had to tell her in person, she'd thought, falling asleep. As she woke up the following morning to the sound of her mother puttering around in the kitchen, she also woke up to a text from Callie, _Good morning, beautiful :) Merry Christmas!_

The text had put a smile on her face, despite her hesitations and her resolve that she already had to break off what they had going on, she had responded in kind. Calliope had told her that Addison came back from skiing with her parents early so that the two friends could spend the holiday together, and Arizona was glad. Despite her nerves, she had been feeling sad picturing the Latina by herself at the apartment, and knowing that her friend was there made her feel infinitely better.

Later that night, Callie had called her, and she accurately guessed Arizona's state of mind, saying, "I feel like you're regretting the other morning."

Despite her faults, she wasn't one to lie, "You would be correct. No, it's not regret. I just… I'm nervous," she'd whispered, feeling said nerves swirl in her stomach.

It was clear through Callie's voice that she was upset, "I know you're worried. But it's not like we're about to go to the chapel. We're still going to take things slow, all right? Just, don't give up on me before we've even had a chance to be anything."

Hearing the Latina's voice calmed her a bit, and she closed her eyes with a deep breath. Callie wasn't asking much of her, and even though she had her fears, she relented, "You're right. Just… we'll go slow."

They'd had many other late night chats, sometimes that lasted over an hour, in which they would talk about their days or ideas or sometimes nothing at all. And she would be lying if she said they didn't help her become more confident in their blossoming relationship. They'd talked on New Year's Eve for almost three hours – she didn't even know she _could_ talk on the phone for three hours without falling into any state of repetition or boredom. But she could with her.

Talking to Calliope so much had actually made her miss her more. She could hear her laugh over the phone, but she wanted to see that super smile. So, it was completely true that she was excited to go back to Boston.

Callie cleared her throat, "Do you have any plans tonight? When you get back?"

Thinking back to the email she'd received earlier, she nodded, "Yeah, all of the TA's are supposed to go to a meeting at six. But it shouldn't take too long; it'll probably be over within an hour. What are you up to?"

"Mark got back this morning, he wants to hang out at Joe's, get a few drinks. So, if the fancy strikes you, you should come see me – us. Everyone's probably going to be there. With classes starting in two days, pretty much everyone is back," Callie told her, and Arizona could just picture her biting her bottom lip.

"I'll be there," she promised, "I want to see you – and everyone," she teased, mocking Calliope's unsure statement.

"I see how it is. Make fun of me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that you miss my beautiful face," she excitement in her voice was palpable.

Ducking her head, she grinned, then waved again at the man who lived down the street who was walking his dog, "I do. You miss mine, too."

"Was there ever any doubt of that?" Callie asked rhetorically, because of the two of them, Arizona was obviously the more reserved of saying how she felt, especially through these phone calls. "Oh!" Callie exclaimed, "So, for this whole, taking us slow thing… I thought I should let you in on something."

Lifting a brow, even though Calliope couldn't see it, she asked, "And what would that be?"

"I totally believe in the three date rule," came the confession in an amused, laughing voice.

Arizona found herself giggling, "The three date rule? Like, no sex until the third date?"

"Yeah… the name really isn't that creative. Regardless, I thought, in the name of taking things slow and playing by the rules, that you should know all the factors," Callie informed her, her voice still light.

Sipping her coffee, she tipped her head up at the morning sky, "So now we're playing by your rules?" A smile pulled at her lips, "For the sake of honesty, I'm glad you told me. And that is a good idea. For the most part." It was a good idea, because then their dating might seem like the beginning of a normal thing, unlike the rest of their relationship. It was just a shame that she wasn't going to be able to touch…

Callie's sigh reflected her thoughts, "Yep. A good idea. I'm full of them, you know."

She let out a chuckle, "I know. You're a genius."

"Good to know you're finally catching up," the Latina responded, then Arizona heard something in the background before Callie returned her voice to the phone, "I have to go. But I'll see you later?"

"Yes. You'll see me later," she confirmed. They hung up, and the blonde put the phone back down to rest next to her on the porch, picking up her warm mug of coffee. The weather was so much nicer here than it was in Boston – today was almost hitting sixty. All that was necessary was a lighter jacket, not like her parka she needed to wear for the winter farther north. But she did enjoy all the snow, so she really couldn't complain the way Callie did.

Looking around at the barely snow touched ground around her, she shook her head. When she'd moved here from Germany ten years ago, she loved that they had such nice warm weather, after the frigid winters she'd experienced the last few years. But now that she lived somewhere else with snow, she really loved it.

Besides her parents, she really didn't miss this place. Hearing the door slam from the house next door, she automatically turned her head, even as she told herself to keep her eyes averted. She watched a head of red hair disappear running down the street in well-worn running clothes, as a platinum blonde ran out screaming something at her retreating back.

And that was her cue to go inside. As unobtrusively as possible, she grabbed her phone and her mug of coffee, but as soon as she was on her feet, the hazel eyes of the woman on the porch next to hers turned and glared at her. No, she really didn't miss the neighborhood.

She wanted to glare back – it was first, basic instinct – but instead, she held her head high and pretended she didn't see the other woman, and opened the door to her house, then closed it quickly behind her. Immediately, her mother stood in front of her, laundry basket against her hip, "Did I just hear yelling?"

Arizona gestured to the house on the right, "Something's going on over there."

Raising her brows in understanding, her mom led them into the laundry room and started folding the clothes, "Ah. Joanne and Amanda have been fighting a lot recently," her mother's voice was light and conversational, but Arizona could tell she was trying to gauge her reaction.

Arizona started to help folding the clothes, and didn't respond. What she wanted to say was "good" but her mother had been the chief soldier in raising her children to promote the "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all" rule. So she didn't.

Astutely, Barbara changed the subject and picked up a pair of freshly washed and dried pants, letting them dangle from her finger, "Where did these come from? I noticed they weren't your size."

Feeling her cheeks burn, she recognized Calliope's sweatpants hanging and she reached out, bundling them in her arms, "I… um, they're…"

Her mom smirked and reached out to pull down the zipper of Arizona's jacket, "And I thought that Harvard shirt you have on looked a little too worn out for you to have only owned it for a few months."

She jerked backwards, and covered herself up with the sweatpants she was holding in her arms, "Mother, I don't know what you're insinuating."

Gleefully, her mom continued to poke at her, "I'm insinuating, daughter, that you are wearing another girl's clothes."

She might have taken Calliope's comfy clothes with her on her vacation down to her parents' house. They were soft and cozy and she liked them. And, at first, they had smelled like the Latina, which was a huge bonus, because she always smelled amazing. Now, even though they smelled like her, she still liked to wear them, and she wasn't going to analyze what that meant, especially with her mom. But there was no way she could deny that these weren't her own, "So?"

The older woman reached out to pull her into a hug, "Oh, honey, I'm so happy! Who is it? It's that Calliope from Thanksgiving, isn't it?"

Giving in, she hugged her mom back and when they pulled away, she wrapped her arms around herself, pulling Callie's shirt in tighter, "Yes. It's – we're – new. We're taking things slowly."

Apparently, Barbara didn't care, "I thought she looked really nice. When are you going to take her down here so we can meet her?"

"I just said we're new and taking things slowly! Slowly is not the morning we decide to be a couple and inviting her to meet my mom and dad," Arizona defended.

Her mom just hmm'd with a small smile on her face as she leaned back and continued to fold laundry, "Well, you should go upstairs and get ready. We have to leave for the airport in a half hour."

"I know, I know. All I have to do is get dressed and I'm ready to go," she responded and started to leave. At the doorway of the small room, she turned and tilted her head, "Also, shouldn't you as a parent be unhappy that I'm wearing another person's clothes? Aren't you supposed to be disapproving of this harlot behavior?"

Her mother snorted, "_This_ harlot behavior?" the knowing gaze focused on her made her blush as Barbara continued, "Honey, I'm just happy that you found someone whose clothes are worth wearing."

"I guess that makes sense," she mumbled, and made her way up to her room, thinking of her mother's words. Someone whose clothes were worth wearing. Though she'd never thought of the terms before, the words fit the way she felt about Callie, and the way they were phrased didn't make her feel the urge to run away.

Half an hour later on the dot, she made her way downstairs, her duffel bag over her shoulder. The Colonel had work early this morning and they'd already said their goodbyes, so she was ready to hit the road. Her mom spotted her, "Go put your stuff in the car; I'll meet you out there in a minute."

Nodding, she made her way out the front door to the driveway. Opening the trunk of her mom's car, she put her duffel bag down, just as an oh-so-familiar voice with a southern twang appeared behind her, "I heard you were back."

Hating the way her heart beat just a little faster and the way her stomach clenched, she spun around stiffly, "Well, here I am."

Joanne looked the same as always. She was tall and statuesque, even after just coming back from her running route around the neighborhood. Her hair was more of a strawberry-blonde red than tomato, and she had the lightest sprinkling of freckles on the bridge of her nose. Shrewd green eyes looked her over, "Yeah, I saw you on the porch this morning."

She'd seen her take off running while Amanda had shrieked after her, but she didn't say that, "Oh, I didn't notice you."

She smiled her stupid, bewitching smile and shrugged, "You were on the phone."

Nodding, she unconsciously stepped back to put more space between them. Back against the car, she gestured to the bag she'd just put in, "Well, I'm leaving now, so…"

Joanne rocked back on her heels and swung her arms, the ring on her finger glinting in the sunlight, "Right, back to Boston? We all heard from Liz that you transferred to Harvard Med," she explained.

Arizona's eyes couldn't stop from trailing to the ring finger, but she made herself shift away and then at the ground, before dragging them back to Joanne's face. Then back to the ring, "Yep, back to Boston."

Noticing her ex's gaze, Joanne started to fiddle with the ring, "How is it there? We always said that regardless of the official rankings Johns Hopkins was always better, remember? We used to say that Harvard could offer us a free spot and we wouldn't take it." She let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, well, we said a lot of things," she sniped, her voice harsh as she side stepped to get away from standing directly in front of her. Looking up into Joanne's face made her feel so angry still, and she wished it was different.

Her face becoming serious, Joanne stepped closer, "Zo, I –"

She was cut off by Barbara coming out the Robbins's front door, "Joanne! How lovely to see you. _Terribly_ sorry to interrupt, but we really have to get going if we want to make it to the airport in time." Making her way to where the two younger women were standing, she put her arm around her daughter, with a bright smile on, "And we can't miss the flight; don't want to keep Calliope waiting for you in Boston, honey."

Joanne's eyes narrowed at the last part and she drew up her back so her posture was more withdrawn, "Sure, right. Okay. Bye, Zo. Mrs. Robbins."

As soon as her back was turned and she was starting her stride back to her own house, Arizona wrapped her arm around her mother's waist and smiled up at her, "I could have gotten her to leave."

The older woman nodded, "I know you can take care of yourself. But I wanted to."

Thinking of Joanne's parting face, she poked her finger into her mom's side, "What happened to, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all?"

Her mom feigned innocence as they got into the car, "What? I didn't say anything mean."

"Mhmm," Arizona nodded, grinning as she looked out the window. "But you do know Calliope isn't going to be waiting for me at the airport."

Her mom shrugged, "Semantics," but the smile she sent her said it all.

God, Arizona really did love her mom.

* * *

If only that warm and fuzzy feeling outlasted the jumbled, bad feelings that Joanne made her feel, she thought hours later, sitting in with the other TA's while the dean of the department lectured them on what it meant to hold their position. They were all exceptional students, going above and beyond their duties, and every person who was returning from a previous semester had done an outstanding job managing all of their responsibilities.

Shifting in her seat, she debated whether or not she still wanted to go to Joe's; she kind of just wanted to lie down in bed. No, that was stupid, she wanted to go see Calliope, plus she promised. Arizona Robbins didn't break promises. It was just… _how_ did Joanne still affect her so much, even if it was just to cause bad feelings? She let out a small groan as Dean Parker finished, muttering, "Finally."

A familiar voice responded in kind from behind her, and she turned around, "Teds! Why were you so late? I tried saving you the seat next to me but after five minutes, I thought maybe, for some reason, you weren't coming."

Teddy had a light blush rise to her cheeks, "Um. Well. I saw someone and we were a little… detained."

Letting her mouth drop a bit, she jumped up and down, "Owen! Owen came in late, too. You little – wait. Owen is still with Cristina, right? Callie hasn't said they broke up. Teddy!"

Firm hands grabbed onto her shoulders and held her in place, "No. Okay, yes, I did run into Owen, but we had a fight. It was stupid."

Wrapping her arm around Teddy's shoulder, she gave her arm a quick rub, "What about?"

Her hands waved it off, "Nothing. I… Henry and I broke up over break, because this long-distance thing wasn't really working, and Owen was just frustrating. Smarmy."

She nodded, then paused, "Wait. You and Henry broke up? Why didn't you tell me? We just talked two days ago!"

Sighing, Teddy's shoulders slumped, "No, I know. I just don't really want to talk about it. Not yet. Besides, why talk about such a downing topic, when you and Callie have a much happier one to be focused on? You're actually going out now!" she let out mock cheers.

Hearing someone else say it was strange… but not unpleasant, she found, and smiled back, "Yeah. I'm going to meet up with her now, at Joe's. If you want to come and possibly drown your sorrows. I hear "everyone" is going to be there."

Teddy was already zipping up her coat, "Believe me, I'm two steps ahead. Come on; on the walk you can tell me all about how home was."

Less than half an hour later, they walked in through the door of the bar, and she immediately spotted Calliope standing at the bar. She looked freaking incredible, and blue eyes drank in the sight. Not entirely sure how, but seeing Joanne today made seeing Callie even better. It was like even though her ex made her feel all sorts of weird, stupid… just plain _bad_ feelings, Callie wiped them all out. For once, her ugly Joanne-mood was overpowered by a better one. And that hadn't been made possible in… well, she wasn't entirely sure she'd ever felt that before.

And the person she was feeling that way about was in a deep discussion, it seemed, with someone else. Shifting a bit, she saw Natalie, and a scowl automatically came across her face. It wasn't even like Natalie seemed to be a bad person – she just couldn't get over the fact that she'd been able and available to take the Latina on a date when she wasn't.

Teddy's shoulder pushed into hers, forcing her out of her thoughts and into a step closer to the brunette, "Go get your girl!"

Her first instinct was to say, "She's not my girl!" But... Callie kind of was, now. Especially when she was being chatted up by a girl who had more on her mind than friendship.

Waving, she started toward the bar. Toward Calliope, who was nodding in response to whatever Natalie was saying. She approached from behind, making eye contact with the shorter, more petite brunette, whose eyebrows raised at her, before she smiled and broke off her conversation with Callie by saying, "So, yeah. Just text me, whenever. I'm still around."

Callie nodded noncommittally, "See you later," but her face was in more of a grimace than anything else.

With a deep breath, Arizona tapped on Callie's shoulder, who whipped around, her face softening into a smile, "Arizona! You're here. You came."

Looking up into warm brown eyes, she hadn't really realized how much she'd missed them since she'd been gone; they hadn't gone over a week without seeing each other since September. Her own face brightened, "I told you I would."

Callie gave her a perceptive look, "I just… I knew through some of our calls that you were a little doubtful about us. I thought maybe you might not show."

She blushed and looked down at the ground for a moment, sheepishly saying, "I might have had a moment, earlier, where I debated not coming. But I got over it." Then she ran her eyes back up the long body in front of her, "And I'm really happy I did."

"I'm really happy you did, too," Callie's eyes feasted on the blonde, and she tapped her hands on her own thighs, "So… seeing that we're together – that hasn't changed right?" Arizona shook her head, and she continued, "It would be appropriate if I gave you a hug, wouldn't it?"

She was already leaning forward, "It would be more than appropriate," she murmured, sinking into the Latina's arms, wrapping her own around her waist and breathing her in. Closing her eyes, she swore she felt the world stop and all of the chaos calm down. Right here, Joanne didn't matter. "A girl whose clothes are worth wearing," she whispered, pressing her lips into Calliope's throat.

Callie shook in laughter, then drew back a little, still keeping her hands on Arizona's waist, "What did you just say?"

Giggling herself, she tilted her head up so she could see into those eyes, "It's just something my mom said. I just meant…" she pictured Joanne in her head and all of the subsequent stewing she'd done over her, "I had kind of a bad day, but you just made it better. And I really like that you can make my bad days better."

Callie turned her head to see where Natalie was sitting and then turned back to Arizona, lowering her head so she was equal with Arizona's ear, "I know exactly what you mean."

Getting up on her tiptoes, she touched her lips lightly to the full red ones belonging to the taller woman, just briefly, before going back to stand on the flats of her feet, "So, Calliope Torres. In honor of standing right here, where we first met and you successively brought me back to your apartment, what do you say you and I go out on a date?"

The megawatt smile spread across her face, "I say… finally."

Spurred on by the Latina's hands that wandered down, sliding into her back pockets, she leaned back into the touch, "How about tonight?"

Surprised brown eyes stared down at her, jaw slackened, "Tonight?" Quickly recovering, those hands gave her butt a squeeze before pulling away, "Yes. Absolutely, yes. Let's go."

A laugh spilled out from her lips as the brunette took her wrist and gave her a light pull, "Whoa, I thought you were celebrating with Mark about his triumphant return from break? You can stay for a little while longer; it's only seven thirty."

Adamantly, Callie shook her head, her voice dry, "Arizona. I have been waiting for a date with you for months. If you say that you want to go on one tonight, I'm ready now." She gestured her head to the side to where Mark was knocking them back with a bunch of first year students, "Besides, I don't think he's going to miss me too much tonight."

Arizona looked down at herself. She was still wearing jeans that had several places that were almost stressed through and a plain, long sleeved blue shirt under her black coat, "I just planned on maybe going back to my apartment and changing real quick. Some of us don't look like movie stars every time we leave the house," she teased, drawing her eyes up and down, taking in the leather boots and perfectly curled hair.

She threw her head back in a laugh, "Oh, because you ever look bad? Please. You look great all the time. Me, tonight? I put myself together so you would see me and remember just why you should have missed me."

The taller woman looked fabulous in anything, but she appreciated the effort. As an idea formed in her head, she ran her hand up and lightly wrapped one of the dark curls around her finger, "As much as I do like this… we're going to have to stop by your apartment to get you a hat."

Callie gave her a questioning look, "Don't I get a say in these date plans?"

Pretending to be offended she shook her head, "Hey, now, _I_ asked _you_ out. Tonight, we go where I say we go."

Zipping up her coat, Callie grumbled, "Yeah, only after I've been asking you out for months. It's not my fault it took you so long to smarten up," she added on, lightly, and it surprised Arizona that she didn't feel her defenses go up. There was just something about Calliope that did that for her.

And she was finally prepared to take full advantage of that, "So let's go and start our first official yammoe."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! A huge thank you to everyone who has already done so, you guys are amazing. I can't wait to write their date!**


	16. Yammoe

She took another tentative swipe of her foot out, when let out a yelp as she nearly lost her balance on the ice. Huffing out a breath, she narrowed her eyes at the blonde who was skating in circles around her, "Arizona Robbins! This is so frustrating, and if I knew your middle name, I would be yelling that at you, too."

Amused blue eyes looked up at her as she came to slow down and skate right next to her, "It's Leigh."

Callie tested the name on her lips, "Arizona Leigh Robbins… I really didn't peg that as your middle name." Wobbling on her feet a little bit, she slowed her already slow pace and explained to the entertained woman next to her, "Your name is Arizona. We talked about our weird names before; I have a weird middle name to go with my weird first name. Then yours is Leigh. It's cute. But unexpected. And it solidifies my win in our competition of weird names."

"For the record, I love your name. And Leigh is my mom's middle name; we can't all have Iphegenia," came the playful response.

Surprised, and turning too fast to ask how in the world Arizona knew that, she lost her already unsteady footing. Landing on the ice with a groan, she remained still for a second, kind of relieved, despite the slight ache in her backside, to be off the skates.

In a flash, Arizona was over her, "Calliope, are you okay? I'm sorry, we shouldn't have gone ice skating; you told me you were bad at it. Let's just go. Can you move?"

She loved this part of the blonde, she thought, remembering how worried she'd been when she'd sprained her ankle. A smile stole over her face, "I'm okay. My butt is a little sore, but it'll be fine." Heaving an over dramatic sigh, she took Arizona's offered hand in her own and let herself be pulled up, "You bring me ice skating even though you know I would be no good." But, to be completely honest with herself, she didn't care at all where they were as long as it was a date. Plus, the winding path they'd had to take through the park that was lit up with twinkling lights spiraling up the trees had more than made up for how bad she was at skating.

Arizona held tight to her hand even after they were both standing side by side, while she looked a little sheepish, "I'll confess, I did have an ulterior motive."

In a move Callie was envious of and impressed by, the blonde seamlessly turned so that she was skating backwards, right in front of her. They both reached their other hands out and adjusted the ones that were already interlocked so that Arizona was leading her, holding her closer to her body, slightly turning up the slow burn they'd been on for the last hour, "I'm not going to complain about that."

That super magic smile that made ocean blue eyes sparkle aimed up for her, and she felt her own return it. The last few weeks had been… hellish. Not hell, exactly, but hellish. Because if there was one thing she'd learned about Arizona in the last few months, it was that it was easy for her to run when she was scared or unsure, and her going away for two weeks right after they changed their relationship status was a prime time for her to change her mind.

But the fact that her daily phone calls had been well received and that Arizona was here, right now, holding onto her hands and laughing up at her – regardless of the activity – was nothing short of a miracle.

Arizona had been right to stop by Callie's apartment on their way here, because the night was really chilly. She could pull off winter gear, which was a stroke of luck and favoring the color black: black jacket, black scarf – the badass factor kicked in. But she looked so much better in clothes for any other season. Arizona, on the other hand, looked adorable no matter what the season, with her knitted blue hat and multicolored, bright, striped mittens.

Yeah, she really didn't care about the activity, she thought again, looking around at the other couples skating on the pond in Boston Common. Because tonight, she and Arizona were a part of those couples. Arizona stopped running from her, so she really couldn't give a damn about what they were doing.

In the smoothest, most stable motion Callie had been able to accomplish all night, Arizona had them moving steadily. Angling her head, she looked at the softly smiling blonde, "So, back to before, how did you know my middle name?"

A blush adorned cheeks that were already tinged pink from the cold, "Well, I… okay, screw it. I might have looked through your personal file. I'm sorry, it was a total invasion of privacy, but I did. And, well, that's how I know your middle name and how I knew where you went to school."

Amazed at the confession, she felt delighted rather than offended or angry as it seemed Arizona expected her to be. "I'm not mad… I mean, you could have just _asked_ but I'm glad you cared. Even when you pretended you didn't," she teased, meaning every word. Clasping harder onto the mitten-clad hands surrounding her own, she added, "Plus, my file didn't tell you how to pronounce my middle name, which is a feat in and of itself."

"I might have Googled it," she admitted, then led them in the direction of the edge without a gate, so they could exit.

Watching in admiration as Arizona hopped off without any trouble, she hesitated before trying to step off the ice and onto the ground, until she felt an arm wrap around her waist and Arizona's voice in her ear, "Just lean into me," she murmured.

Doing so, they both made it, injury free, to the benches where they changed back into their shoes, and Callie reached down to take Arizona's hand in hers once more, only to be stopped. Confused, the blonde gave her a smile before she tugged off her mitten and reached down so the skin of their hands actually touched.

Callie's cold hand tingled against the warmth of Arizona's and she laced their fingers together, "Off to hot chocolate?"

Arizona nodded excitedly, and started leading them on the short walk to what she'd called "the best hot chocolate spot in Boston" when she had told Callie of their date plans. And as unenthused as she'd been with the prospect of ice skating, she'd been thrilled with the hot chocolate. Especially because the place Arizona had proclaimed as her favorite, was also her own.

"Jeez, Calliope, your hands are freezing; I told you to bring gloves!" Arizona admonished, pulling Callie's hand in between her own bringing it up to her mouth, blowing on it.

Sighing in response, then shivering, as pink lips kissed her frigid fingertips, she grinned and curled her fingers around Arizona's, lowering them. Then she swung them back, stopping their movements and shifted so they were face-to-face. Dipping her head, she whispered, "You know, my lips are a little cold, too."

She was so close at this point, she could _feel_ the blonde smile, "Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, and pressed her lips against the cold pink ones. They'd kissed – extremely briefly – in the bar earlier, but this was their first real kiss in two weeks. And if she didn't count that morning, it was their first kiss in almost two months. The thought alone made her groan, which tapered off into a whimper as a warm tongue parted her lips, gently tracing over her teeth, heat coiling low in her stomach.

Before her own could make contact she desperately wanted, Arizona leaned back, and she pouted, "I wasn't lying when I told you before you left that I was really, really excited for that part! More," she demanded, keeping her face mere inches away.

Giggling in a way that only Arizona could make cute, especially while her eyes were that navy shade they took on when she was aroused, she shook her head, "All in good time, Calliope, all in good time."

Grumbling, though not really unhappy because she and _Arizona Robbins_ were on a _date_, walking through the park while _holding hands_… yeah, definitely not unhappy. Swinging their hands between them, they resumed their walk.

"Earlier, at Joe's, you said that you had a kind of bad day… what happened that made it bad?" she asked, and simply tightened her fingers around the blonde's when she felt her stiffen and start to pull away, "Don't do that. Don't just close up. Just let it out; just tell me," she added on, pleading, remembering Arizona's words the night she told her about how her parents found out she was gay.

Though she could both feel and see how tense Arizona was, she didn't let go of her hand, Callie noted. And that was progress. A small sigh escaped her mouth, and her shoulders slumped a bit, "I ran into Joanne when I was home."

Joanne… Callie wracked her brain for the limited amount of information she had about the people in Arizona's life in Virginia. Joanne rang no bells, but she looked at the frowning grimace on Arizona's face, "She's an ex-girlfriend?" she guessed.

A bitter look that she'd never seen before crossed the shorter woman's features as blue eyes stared at the ground, "Calliope, she is _the_ ex-girlfriend."

It took a second for the meaning of the words to sink in, before Callie put it together. The ex-girlfriend as in the one who was the root of the "rules," she assumed. The ex-girlfriend who might be a main reason for Arizona leaving her life at Johns Hopkins, where she'd gone for four years of undergrad and three of med school, to finish one last year in a strange city. Her voice was quiet as she rubbed her thumb in small circles on the soft skin between Arizona's thumb and pointer finger, "Will you tell me about her – you – both of you? Together?"

She watched the TA take in her request, and saw the array of emotions fly across her face, especially the indecision. Quickly she added on, "I'm sorry. Clearly, this still upsets you, I just want to know more about you and your past, because, well, we're together. But it's fine. You can tell me later." Her words came out in a rush, tumbling over one another, "Except, it kind of is later, because we've been circling around each other and this for almost five months." With her free hand, she made a fist and dug her fingernails into her skin, inwardly berating herself for the way everything was coming out. "I just mean –"

Arizona cut off her rambling with a quiet laugh, "Calliope, calm down. It's okay. You've been more than patient with me for months. And you deserve to know why. Especially if we are going to be together. If we're going to do this, you should know my past; how else can I try to move on from it?" she added on, mostly to herself.

Encouraging her to continue, the Latina leaned down to drop a quick kiss on the skin right above the blonde's ear, "You're absolutely right."

"All right. So. Here we go," with a deep breath, blue eyes zeroed in on her face, "You remember when I told you about how I came out to my parents? It was after we moved to Virginia, and that was when I realized I was gay, because it was when I met my first girlfriend?" Callie nodded, putting the pieces together a moment before Arizona clarified, "Well, Joanne was that girlfriend. She and her family lived in the house next to the one my parents moved into. The first time I ever felt attracted to anyone, in sixteen years – aside from supermodels or move stars, which I just thought was normal girl-crush envy – was when I saw her running around the neighborhood park in her spandex shorts."

Callie watched as Arizona tipped her head back and shook it slightly, as if she could remember that exact moment in time. Not wanting to push her, but needing for her to keep going, she "mhmm"d in response.

The sound urged Arizona to continue, "We were in the same grade, both sixteen years-old, and were in a few classes together. She was openly gay. We became friends, and after a few months, she kissed me. And it just started this whole Romeo and Juliet thing, where we would sneak around in teenage love, for a long time. Almost a year. Which is when it was like this _wham_ feeling – I wasn't in this high school "I love you, I love you too" thing, it was this completely real, adult _I love you_. And that was when I knew I had to come out to my family, because I knew Joanne was it. Then we both got into Johns Hopkins early acceptance, our families accepted us, we loved each other… everything felt perfect."

Oh boy. Callie had this terrible feeling in her stomach, because no story that began with "everything felt perfect" was going to end well. As they reached the door to the café, she held it open for the blonde, "Why don't you go find us a table? I'll meet you there after I get some drinks."

Going to the counter, she looked over at the blonde's contemplative, glum face, and ordered two thick, dark hot chocolates with a side of assorted doughnuts. She wasn't entirely sure about the doughnut theory, but she'd seen Arizona have two full boxes of them stocked in her kitchen after grocery shopping a few weeks ago, so she thought it would be a good purchase. Especially for the story ahead.

Bringing them over, she placed everything on the table as she stripped out of her jacket and scarf, loving the thrilled laugh that made its way from Arizona's throat, she knew she made the right choice, "I felt like you might want some of these."

"You blow me right away, sometimes," the blonde grinned up at her, and Callie felt the grin right down to her toes.

"I aim to please," she shot back with her own smile and settled down into the chair adjacent to Arizona's.

Slim hands wrapped around the mug of dark hot chocolate, and she took a sip, letting out a light moan as the liquid went down her throat, "This is my favorite! How did you know?"

Feeling proud of herself, Callie took a sip of her own, "It's mine, too. I just got you the same thing." After a few moments of both of them sipping their drinks, she prompted, "So… everything felt perfect?"

Immediately, a sour look crossed back over her features, "Right. Everything felt perfect. Then at the end of our freshmen year, we went to a party. She disappeared for a bit, and I danced with some friends, then went to go to the bathroom. I opened a door, thinking I found it. But what I found was my girlfriend of three years with her head between some other girl's legs." She scrunched up her face, recalling the exact words Joanne had told her, "She said that she loved me, but wanted to experience other things than just me. More than me. _Better_ than me. So we broke up."

As Arizona took a deep breath and then a doughnut, Callie reached her hand out under the table and ran her fingertips over the back of the blonde's hand before turning it and pressing their palms together, feeling miserable just picturing a younger, heartbroken Arizona, "That's terrible –"

Intense blue eyes were on her in a second, "That's just the beginning." Almost fearing what in the world was going to come next, Callie used her fingers to part Arizona's and interlaced them together while she continued, "Sophomore year was absolutely terrible. I spent the summer licking my wounds, then I spent fall semester getting _a lot _of experience under my belt; Joanne did the same… then she started to date someone else and I was heartbroken. I had thought maybe after we both got more experience, we would get back together. Anyway. This other girl was in our major and we all pretty much had the same classes, so it sucked."

While she paused to take a gulp of her hot chocolate, Callie waited, resting their hands on Arizona's bouncing leg, wondering what was going to happen; she kind of felt like she was waiting for a bomb to go off.

After a few seconds, Arizona continued, "I stopped going out and partying and sleeping around because… it just _sucked_ so much. Seeing them together… I just never got over Joanne despite sleeping with any other girls. I felt like she was the person I was going to be with forever, as naïve as it was. Then, second semester, this other girl I knew, Lauren, asked me out. So we dated, and I finally felt like I was starting to get over Joanne… when, at the end of the year, Lauren dumped me out of the blue. I went home, once again, to hide out in my parent's house for the summer. And soon, Joanne started coming by, checking in. I found out she broke up with her girlfriend, too, and she said she wanted to be with me again. Stupidly, I got back with her," she disentangled her hand from Callie's and brought it up to peel at her napkin, muttering, "So fucking stupid."

Hearing Arizona swear – when not in the bedroom, and even then it was scarce – Callie raised her eyebrows and felt anticipation and dread coil inside of her. What happened next definitely wasn't going to be good, and there was no way she could go back in time and stop any of it.

Heaving a sigh, she moved her hand from picking at the napkin to another doughnut, "We seemed pretty solid that junior year – she convinced me that she really did just want to be with me. A few months in, I learned that Lauren had dumped me because she and Joanne had slept together right before break. When I confronted Joanne about it, she said she did it because she loved me so much that she couldn't stand to see me be with anyone else."

Arizona took another pause, and Callie couldn't stop her words, "You know, Joanne seems like a huge bitch."

A dark look was sent her way, with a sullen laugh and a voice laden with hostility, not aimed at her but at this mysterious entity of Joanne, "I know that. Now. I was mad then, too, believe me, I was pissed. But I forgave her because this was _Joanne_ and we were supposed to be together. All of the other crap that had happened in the past just didn't matter. We were beyond that. Things went back to smooth sailing for a long time. We graduated together and were both accepted into medical school there, got an apartment together."

Oh, god. The dark days were coming. Callie saw them written all over the blonde's face, and the hand she still had resting on Arizona's thigh tightened briefly. What had happened in the time between then and now that made her so against being in a relationship again?

Pressing on, she ran a hand through her hair, gripping slightly, "At the end of our first year of med school, life seemed to have that perfection thing again. I had Joanne, and for the first time since high school, everything seemed so smooth. That summer, Tim was home from deployment, and he had his own girlfriend – a girl named Amanda that lived in the apartment complex we lived in, across the courtyard. I introduced the two of them. They were happy, we were happy. We spent the summer going out, the four of us. I thought it was the epitome of perfection – my brother was safe, he had a great girl, and, even better, I had one, too."

Arizona took a moment to vigorously shake her head, "Before going back to school, I bought an engagement ring for her." Both of her hands clamped together on the table top, "At the beginning of our second year, she acted a little strange, but she said it was work; stress. We moved past it. I kept the ring on me every day, and I finally planned out that I was going to propose at her family's annual Christmas Eve party. I wasn't even supposed to be there - my parents and I were supposed to go to see my cousins, but I had that eureka moment where I knew it was the right time. So, when I went to find her, it was like déjà vu; I opened her bedroom door and she was in there… on top of Amanda, my brother's girlfriend. I was planning on proposing to her that night, and she was fucking my _deployed brother's girlfriend_. Apparently, they'd been hooking up since the summer. And they were in love. And while she was at it, she confessed to the other "small, meaningless flings" she'd had with random girls at school during the two years I thought we were completely committed to each other."

Floored, she stared at Arizona's face, whose hard gaze was focused on the mug in front of her, "Arizona, I can't... I'm so, so sorry." Shit, no wonder the blonde had so many issues with trust.

Sad eyes looked up at her, "There's still a little more," she assured, taking another deep breath, "I almost didn't go back to school at the beginning of the spring semester, because I knew I was going to have to see them so much. But my parents raised me to be tough, so I sucked it up, and went back. Joanne moved her stuff out from our apartment into Amanda's across the courtyard. I saw them _everywhere_. When I went home, when I was in class, the library, popular bars and restaurants. Then at the end of the year, I saw them get engaged. Six months after I was going to propose, and she was engaged to someone else. They were together, officially, for six months and we'd been together for seven years…" she trailed off as she lifted her mug and drank the remaining liquid.

Words escaped Callie, and she considered herself lucky that Arizona's question was rhetorical. All she really wanted to do was punch Arizona's ex-fucking-girlfriend in the face. Searching for a response – but what could she really say to that? – she found she didn't have to, yet, as Arizona pushed on.

"My friends started taking me out to parties and told me that I had to get over Joanne – and I really, really did. So I started sleeping with other women… a lot of other women. Which was how my rules were formed. I was positive I was making progress last winter, a year after the breakup, when I saw Joanne as I was coming home from the bar one night. I was really drunk, and she was outside of her door, which I had to walk past to get to my own. The how is still blurry to me, but I know I ended up in her and Amanda's bed the next morning. With a pounding headache, and the prototype of a possible wedding invitation sitting on their bedside table. As soon as I realized what was going on, I tried to get Joanne, who was still in bed next to me, to explain the missing pieces I had, and she completely flipped her lid, marching me out the door, screaming. God, I still don't even…" she stared down at the table, her voice trembling just a bit.

Barreling on, because if she didn't she didn't think she would get it out at all – this was the first time she'd talked about the whole story with someone who wasn't her parents or Tim, and even then she held back little bits. "It was that same morning that I knew I had to get away; I started working on transferring right away. She was… being there was toxic to me. And I saw her today, and I just really hate seeing her." Finally, finishing, dejected cerulean eyes connected with sympathetic brown ones, before looking onto her mug of hot chocolate, running her fingertip around the edge, "You probably think I'm pathetic. I don't blame you – I think I'm pathetic," she finished, laughing at herself in a harsh, humorless chuckle.

In response, Callie couldn't stop herself from sliding her chair around the table so they were next to each other, reaching up to take Arizona's hand from her cup and securely lacing them together, "I don't think you're pathetic."

Arizona scoffed, "You don't have to pretend. I know I was ridiculous. She played me for years; even after I knew she'd done it before, I still went back to her. I was an idiot."

"Hey," Callie's voice was sharp, even to her own ears, but she felt like she needed it to be that way to make Arizona really hear her. To reinforce her point, she brought her other hand up and cupped the soft chin in it, forcing blue eyes to meet hers, "I don't think you're an idiot or pathetic or ridiculous. I think that you were truly in love with someone, and you were loyal and trusting, like the amazing person you are, and that your trust, and loyalty, and love were abused by someone who didn't deserve you."

There were tears rimming in those bright eyes inches away from hers, "Calliope… I… I let her run my life even after everything she did. Even here, she dictated me for months. Which in turn made _your_ life screwed up. And because of everything, I just hate her. I want to be able to think of her and not care, but I still can't get over the feeling of hating her."

Inching her hand up, she lightly wiped her thumb right under her eye, collecting the tear that was about to fall, "But you're here with me, now. Arizona, it doesn't matter how long we got here, we're here right now. And as long as you don't run away from me because of the past, Joanne is out of whatever we have. You're stronger than her; you're better than her. And her biggest mistake was letting you go." She knew Arizona wasn't ready to hear it yet, but she desperately wanted to tell her that she didn't want to let her go, either. So she kept the words in.

Arizona leaned in closer, laying her head on Callie's shoulder and burrowing her nose into her neck, whispering, "I think you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

Turning her head to press a kiss into the crown of blonde hair, she whispered back, "I knew you would see it eventually. I think I'm pretty lucky to have you, too." She saw how deeply Arizona could love... now it was just a question of how to get to the point where she would love her. They stayed like that for a few more seconds, before she broke their silence, "Thank you for telling me."

Slowly, Arizona lifted her head, keeping their faces close, a small smile stealing over her features, "Thank you for being so patient with me for five freaking months." Her eyes fell to Callie's lips and she licked her own, "Remember earlier when I said "all in good time?" I think good time might be here."

Callie quirked a brow, "Oh, really? Right here in the café?"

"Mhmm," Arizona practically purred, and in the lightest of touches, brought her lips to Callie's keeping her eyes open. Callie was positive she'd never seen anything better than being able to watch the darkening of her eyes while feeling her petal soft lips tug gently on her bottom lip combining to create this amazing sensation...

All too soon, the blonde leaned back again, "So, I recall you also saying that you had a less than stellar day? What was that about?"

Callie licked her lips, tasting hot chocolate and Arizona's tongue, humming at the taste, before rolling her eyes, thinking of Natalie, "It wasn't really my _day_. More of just my night before you got to Joe's. Natalie just… we got into a small argument."

Arizona frowned, "About what?"

Not particularly wanting to tell her – she remembered the way Arizona had acted when she thought that Natalie had been using her for a better lab grade – she forced herself to tell the whole truth, especially after Arizona had just offered so much of herself up, "You. I just… she's a little drunk, and she asked if I wanted to bring her back to my apartment. No strings, because wasn't that "the way I liked my women?"" she repeated, feeling irritation bubble up.

Seeing Arizona lean back in her chair, mouth falling open, offended, as she said, "She said that to you? Seriously? You should have told me before we left…" gave Callie that warm feeling that she so often felt with her. Even if Arizona couldn't let herself see it, she was already super protective.

"I mean, it's not a huge deal. She's unhappy and intoxicated. I told her we were starting something out and she just told me that _when_ it didn't work out, she would be around," she finished, feeling Arizona's clench around hers.

Slowly, the blonde relaxed, "I guess this would be a good time to tell you that while we're dating… I don't share, Calliope."

"I don't intend to be shared," she reassured, loving the way blue eyes narrowed. She was sure there was a reason people in relationships said that jealousy was annoying... however, for the time being, she really liked it. Maybe even too much.

Arizona shook her head, then emitted a giggle, "I'm sorry. This is just… our first date was spent ice skating where you fell, then me consuming doughnuts and telling you about my ex, while you tell me about some girl you went on a date with hitting on you the same night. Not your average first date... I wish I could have given you a better one."

Her own laugh escaped her throat, thinking about their night and how they got here, "Since when have we done things like average people do them?" Laughter subsiding, but smile staying, she brought her hand up and swiped her thumb lightly over Arizona's bottom lip, tracing the outline of it, "And it's impossible to have given me a better first date. I, for one, wouldn't change anything. It's better than a date - it's a yammoe," she reminded her.

"I'm glad our yammoe is good for you. It is for me, too," came the soft response, as her smile took on a mischievous glint, "So, as an unconventional couple might do, what do you say we have a little borderline inappropriate for the public eye make-out before I walk you back to your apartment?"

Already leaning forward, sweeping her eyes around the barely populated café, she brought her eyes back to the blue ones already half closed, "I say… that sounds really good."

An hour later, both feeling giddy and riding on a high, they approached Callie's apartment, slowing their walk with every step, as the building came into view. Disappointment edged in, because she didn't care how strange their conversations or activities might have been for a first date; everything was perfect. And she didn't want it to end.

They stopped outside the door, but neither one of them made an attempt to go any farther. "You know, it's only ten thirty… you can come up for a little while if you want," she offered, telling herself she was silly for being nervous at Arizona's answer. They'd just flirted and kissed in a café for an hour, and now she was nervous as to whether or not the blonde was willing to come up?

An impish smile appeared on the adorable face looking up at her through thick dark blonde eyelashes, "Why, Calliope, I thought you believed in the three date rule?"

Feeling her heart speed up at the look in those eyes, she swallowed hard, "I do. Why, Arizona, I can't believe you would just assume we would be in the bedroom. Get your mind out of the gutter!" Before Arizona could respond, she ducked down so her mouth was level with her ear, "Just because we won't be having sex doesn't mean there can't be any slightly inappropriate making out."

Arizona's breath shuddered out and she hoarsely whispered, "Does that include some touching?"

Whimpering lightly as the heat that never failed to build between them, that had been building all night, bumped up another notch. She flicked out her tongue out to trace over the shell of her ear, then watched shivers appear on the blonde's skin as the cold air around them blew, "It depends. I am a lady, you know," she said, her tone joking.

Blue eyes raked down her body, "Believe me, I know that."

Without another word, they entered the building. Before she could dig out her keys, Cristina swung open the door, raising her eyebrows at them, then looking down at their hands only to burst out in laughter, "Seriously?"

Callie looked down, her cheeks blushing slightly because she was losing points in the badassery department by the minute. Her left hand was still entwined with Arizona's right, which kept them both warm. And on Arizona's left hand she had on her brightly striped mitten, and she had gallantly slipped her other mitten over Callie's right hand to keep it warm.

She narrowed her eyes at her laughing roommate, as Arizona just looked confused as to what was so funny, "Go back to staying with Grey, Yang."

The Asian woman shook her head, "No can do; Mer's place is not conducive to studying. Partying during break, yes, laboring over textbooks, no. But really, with both of you wearing one mitten that matches the other with your hands together in the middle, you look like some strange, conjoined twin. And where the hell did you get _those_ mittens? Callie, where did you get mittens, period?"

Scowling, she practically pulled Arizona along with her to march past Cristina and into the open door, "Enough of your attitude. Have a fabulous time out with Owen!" she waved and shut the door behind them.

Arizona let go of her hand to tug off her mitten, then reached out to take off Callie's, "What's wrong with my mittens? They're cute!"

Taking them out of the blonde hands and tossing them to the kitchen counter a few feet away, she placed her hands on the smaller woman's hips and walked them backwards a few steps, "Nothing. They are cute. Just like you."

"I'm not cute!" she insisted, tipping her head up, "I'm hot."

"Mhmm," she agreed flippantly, just to see the fire light up behind the blue eyes.

Before she saw what was coming, slim fingers curled into her hair and pulled her head down, teeth nipping into her bottom lip, her tongue coming out to soothe over any ache that might have been left behind. Her fingers trailed down Callie's back, goose bumps in their wake, as they drifted to the bottom, slipping just beneath the jacket, mouth trailing to nip again at her earlobe, "I'm not hot?"

Her hands were clenched, digging into slim hips, while her breath was already coming fast, "I lied. You're definitely, completely, totally hot."

"That's what I thought," a triumphant voice responded, then quick fingers worked to unzip Callie's coat, while Callie brought hers to undo Arizona's coat, slipping it off her shoulders and tossing it to land on the back of the couch.

Pulling her back in, she attached their lips, sliding her tongue into Arizona's mouth, tangling them together. The kiss wasn't rushed, but they glided languidly. Hands clung to her hips, thumbs tracing light patterns on the skin right above her jeans, forcing her breath to come even quicker. Leaning back to catch her breath, she reminded herself of the three date rule.

Which was stupid, because she wanted Arizona, now. Sticking to her resolve to take things slow, especially in regards to the information the blonde had trusted her with tonight, she panted out, "Couch," because as long as they weren't taking it into the bedroom, she was sure they'd stay under control. They made it over to the red sofa, kicking their boots off as they went.

Pushing Arizona down to sit, she climbed on top of her lap, straddling her, bringing their lips back together just for a moment before the blonde leaned her head back, "Wait, so… how far can this touching go?"

Dropping her face to her neck, she groaned. She wanted all the way, and feeling Arizona against her just reminded her of the last time they were in her apartment together. How she'd woken up to the feeling of Arizona jerking against her, how she could feel her wetness through the shorts she'd been wearing – Callie's own shorts – and she'd watched her orgasm.

Without realizing it, she had sunk her teeth into Arizona's throat, only brought out of the memory of the blonde coming against her as a loud moan ripped through the room, ending with a whispered, "Calliope?"

Jerking back, she looked at the already forming bruise, "Uh, sorry. I didn't even realize…"

Arizona shook her head, "It's okay. More than okay, believe me. I just really, really want to touch you. Even more, now."

Callie could already feel herself practically dripping. She wanted those hands on her, so much, and it had been since Thanksgiving that she'd come thanks to Arizona, and her own hands just weren't nearly as good. even so, she would have gotten herself off if she knew the date was going to be tonight, in preparation. Swinging her leg around, she let herself fall onto the couch next to the blonde, "I think that if you touch me, I won't be able to stop. So we should stop it now, for tonight."

She could tell Arizona was straining for more even as she was, but she gave her a big, bright smile, reaching up to stroke her fingers lightly against Callie's cheek, whispering, "Thank you for being so willing to take us slowly. Even when it's hard for both of us."

Sighing, she reached up to catch Arizona's hand in hers, "Don't thank me yet… I was wondering if you want to go on our second yammoe tomorrow night. That's not really all that slow."

A laugh drifted over her skin and the blonde's fingers tightened around hers, "Well, I think it's a good pace. And yes. I absolutely do."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! So, there we have it. The first yammoe and Joanne, rolled into one longest chapter yet. Thank you so much for reading!**


	17. Love

The moment Callie realized that she was in love with Arizona Robbins was the night of their second date, as she waited outside for the blonde to meet her to begin the evening.

She couldn't pinpoint when it had happened or why exactly she realized it when she did, but she was entirely positive that it was real. She was also entirely positive that Arizona couldn't know. After last night, she knew that the blonde was in this, invested in making an effort for them to be a couple. Callie knew that it had been painful for her to share the story of her and Joanne and that Arizona wouldn't just tell it to anyone; it meant something.

God, as soon as the realization hit, she was flooded with this feeling of… she wasn't entirely sure, because she'd never felt it before. There had been people in her past that she thought she had been in love with, but this feeling was different, because Arizona was different. She was loyal and protective and sweet. She was strong and she had that unbelievable mixture of cuteness and hotness that drove Callie crazy.

Looking up at the window to the apartment she knew belonged to Arizona, she twisted her hands together in anticipation. Biting her lip, she wondered how the hell she was going to be able to keep the words inside of her because as cliché as it was, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. "Come on, you can do it. Do it for her, you can't tell her already. She needs time," she whispered to herself.

Arizona's came from a few feet away, "I don't know why _I _get called the cute one, when you biting your lip and muttering to yourself is much more adorable than anything I could possibly do."

Spinning to see the blonde, her entire body then froze, while she felt her heart flutter in her chest. Arizona was dressed in dark skinny jeans that tucked into her heeled boots, and from the unbuttoned top of her jacket, Callie could see that she was wearing the casual yet dressy white short-sleeved shirt that, even though she couldn't see it she knew it gathered slightly right over her breasts and again at her hips. It was one of her favorite tops that Arizona owned.

Blonde hair was curled softly, landing just below her shoulders and draping against her red peacoat in rich contrast. She _loved_ this woman, whose ocean eyes were shining with her smile, making her throat dry up, and tongue feel thick, as she stared. "I love you," wanted to burst from inside of her, but thankfully the words stayed in. Unthankfully, no other words would come out.

Her silence slowly made Arizona's smile dim, as she looked down at herself, unsure, "Am I not dressed right?"

Finally, she got her vocal cords working, and she shook her head, "What? No, you look amazing. You're beautiful," she added on softly, her legs finally started to work and she walked over to her. Reaching down she took slim, soft hands in her own, and she leaned down to touch her mouth to Arizona's. It was a simple kiss, just a brushing of lips, but she swore she felt it all over her body.

When she drew back, Arizona lifted one of her hands up out of the hold Callie had it in and slid her fingers down a tan cheek, resting so that they were cupping her chin and those perceptive blue eyes searched her face, "Are you all right? You seem… strange."

A laugh bubbled out of her and she quirked an eyebrow, "A minute ago I was adorable but now I'm strange?" she joked, feeling like she was easing back into herself. Realizing that she was in love with Arizona didn't really change anything – it only strengthened her resolve to be with her.

"Yes," the blonde confirmed with a reciprocating giggle before sobering, "Seriously though, are you all right? I don't know, you look like… stunned. Okay, not really so much now, but you did a minute ago."

"I'm good," she promised, "I'm better than good, actually." And that was absolutely the truth. Readjusting their hands so that their fingers locked together, she asked, "Are you ready to embark on our second date?"

Dimples flashed in a bright smile, "Yes! I think I would be more ready if you would tell me where we're going…" she trailed off, her hint blatantly obvious.

She shook her head and started leading them down the side walk, "Arizona, you are going to find out stage one of tonight in literally five minutes! Have some self-control, woman," she commanded, teasing.

An exaggerated sigh worked itself out of her mouth, "Fine, fine. Lead the way."

Callie looked at the shorter woman, then reached her hand up to flick a finger against her pouting bottom lip, "And this is a big part of the reason why you are cute and I'm not."

The pout disappeared into a laughing glare, "I think that if I'm cute then so are you. Which, by the way, I meant to tell you that you look beautiful tonight, yourself."

She was sure that her favorite thing about when Arizona told her she was beautiful in contrast to whenever she'd heard the words from other people in her life, was that she always said it with a reverent tone, and a look in her eyes that guaranteed she meant the words completely whenever they were uttered. Which was one of the things she loved about her, she thought, whispering, "Thank you."

A finger poked into her side, "See? That was strange! You're being strange."

Her cheeks heated, "No, I'm not." Quickly pulling out her phone to check the time, she changed the subject, "Oh, let's hurry. I don't want to be late."

Obliging, Arizona lengthened her strides to keep up with the longer legged Latina and mused, "So, it's something that has a set time to start…"

Minutes later, Callie halted them, and Arizona looked up at the location, then at her in question, "The big mystery date was the movies? I mean, I love the movies, but I don't understand the need to be all secretive about it."

"Part one of the mystery date," she corrected, then bumped her hip against the blondes, then pointed up at the Now Showing sign, "For this week only," she said, waiting for her to read it.

As soon as she did, she hopped up and down, dropping Callie's hand to clap, "Aladdin!" Excitedly, she spun to grab the collar of the Latina's jacket, then yanked her down in a move Callie didn't see coming, pressing their lips together before peppering several kisses on her cheeks, then returning to her lips to gently suck at her top one, rubbing their noses together. Without moving her face away, she whispered, "I love that you remembered that."

As she spoke, their lips stroked against each other's, and Callie couldn't say why she found that so erotic, but she did. Desire coursed through her even as she grinned at how fucking _cute_ Arizona was, "I thought you might like it."

Last week, when Arizona had been away, Callie saw a movie with Addison at this theater, and the fact that they were airing the Aladdin caught her eye. The blonde had shared a story when they were Christmas shopping weeks ago that Aladdin had been she and Tim's favorite movie to watch together when they were younger, and was the first movie they saw in theaters as kids. They both had starred as the titular character many times in their own reenactments, and they liked to imagine that when their dad was deployed to foreign lands that the scenery was beautiful just like Aladdin's was.

Leaning back, she gripped tight to Callie's hand, "So, you know how I told you last night with the doughnuts that you blow me away sometimes? This is one of those times. You seem to remember everything."

Unable to stop smiling like a fool even if she wanted to, she led them into the theater, "Only things about you."

"I might comment on how corny that sounded if I didn't like it so much," the blonde said, walking with an undeniable skip in her step, only to pause when Callie bypassed the ticket selling booths, "Don't we have to get –"

Shaking her head, Callie reached into her purse to pull out two tickets that had been printed out from her house, "Already done."

Reaching out, she took them in her hands, "Calliope! These were printed out a week ago… you've been planning this for a little while."

Kicking her foot lightly at the ground, she shrugged, "I, um, I thought that this could be our first date. I kind of planned it out before you got back."

"Why didn't you tell me that yesterday? You planned our first date, but you let me take you out ice skating instead," Arizona frowned, "I stole your thunder."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "I don't care that this isn't our first date, as long as it's a date. And I loved last night," she loved everything about last night. She loved that the blonde had been the one to initiate the date, she loved that she'd opened up about her past with Joanne, she loved the flirting and kissing, and she'd even liked skating when Arizona had been leading her.

Arizona insisted on buying them snacks while Callie went into the bathroom. When she emerged, Arizona was waiting for her with a tub of popcorn and a large coke. Laughing, she asked, "Does that drink have two straws? I feel I'm in middle school," she teased.

The blonde winked, then as they were walking into their theater – mindful of the children that we also heading into the movie – she lowered her voice and whispered, "I also cut a hole in the bottom of the popcorn bucket."

Throwing her head back and laughing as they sat down, she received several glares from children around her, then huffed to Arizona quietly, "These kids need to calm down; the previews haven't even started yet!"

She giggled, "Aladdin is serious stuff."

"Apparently," Callie agreed, then raised her eyebrows at the blonde and pressed her finger to her lips as the lights dimmed, signaling that the previews were about to roll.

Arizona placed the popcorn on the armrest between them, then ducked her hand underneath to take the Latina's hand that was resting in her lap. When the movie came on, Arizona lit up, and Callie spent most of her time watching the woman next to her rather than the big screen. She loved the way she mouthed most of the words, and how she hummed along with all of the songs. She was so open and yet guarded at the same time, and the contrasts fascinated her.

She thought of Joanne, and wondered what the hell was wrong with her that she'd had Arizona Robbins right in her hands – ready to propose! – and she'd thrown her away. Twice. _And_, she remembered seeing that sad look on Arizona's face, said she wanted "more" and "better." Where in the world did she think she was going to find better?

Arizona turned to look at her, a smile on her face at the onscreen antics, and whispered, "Why are you watching me?"

Seeing the glares the talking got, she leaned in closer so her lips brushed against her ear, "I like watching you watch the movie." Before she drew away, she gave a small kiss to the skin right under her ear, "How inappropriate would it be to make-out in a kids movie?"

"Extremely," the blonde whispered back, but turned her head anyway.

Callie leaned in, closing the gap between them, parting Arizona's lips and finding her tongue within seconds. She felt the blonde's hand dig into her thigh when she switched things up, sucking that tongue into her own mouth. A faint whimper left the blonde's lips, and Callie couldn't help but smile as someone nearby, distinctly young and right in front of them, went, "Shh!"

Pulling back, she paused to capture Arizona's bottom lip and encase it in her own, sucking until the smaller woman pulled away, whispering, "God –"

The little boy in front of them turned around and held his finger against his lips to tell them to be quiet in as menacing a way as a child can, and Callie shook in laughter, while Arizona blushed. At the same time, they leaned in to take a sip of their drink, from their respective straws. Making eye contact, they both grinned, and she realized that Arizona's two straws in one drink thing did make her feel like she was in middle school, but it was a good thing because it was like feeling those butterflies in your stomach when you shared a milkshake for the first time.

Arizona went back to watching the movie and she went back to… kind of watching the movie, but still preferred watching the blonde's reactions to it. They made it out without being shushed again, though the shusher, who couldn't be more than eight, did give them a dirty look when he was being led out by his mother.

As Arizona held the door open for her, she shook her head, "That kid should be a freaking librarian."

The blonde laughed and reached for Callie's hand, "Okay, enough about him. Stage one was awesome! What's stage two?" She asked, knowing she wasn't going to get an answer.

Clucking her tongue in response, she looked down at her, "You'll find out when we get there! It's really close," she added on, then started to lead them in the direction.

"Fine, fine," she sighed, but clearly wasn't anywhere near annoyed, as her smile revealed.

While they walked, Arizona hummed "A Whole New World" and rhythmically squeezed her hand along with the beat. Laughing, she looked down at their intertwined hands and decided that she liked the look of them. Their skin tones different, her nails painted black whereas the blondes were unpainted. As her hand was squeezed once more, she thought about the last few days that they were actually together, and then to the months before that, when they'd been having sex, and commented, "You're a hand-holder."

The humming stopped and blue eyes looked at her curiously, "What?"

Callie pulled up their hands to be eye level before dropping them back down to swing between them, "I was just thinking that you like to hold hands." Arizona flushed and started to pull back a little bit, but she held tight, "I like it, too."

They took a few more steps before the blonde tried to explain, "It's just… when I hold your hand it feels really easy. Natural. That doesn't make sense. And I guess I just think it feels nice. Connected."

And what was even better to Callie was that Arizona was the one who often times would seek out that connection. Hand holding was a quiet intimacy to her and she was glad that Arizona seemed to believe the same thing, "I get it," she said, softly, seeing that her comment had made the smaller woman uncomfortable. Spotting their destination coming up, she quickly changed the subject, "Now… don't you just want to go where everybody knows your name?"

Her eyebrows drew down, "Cheers?" Then she looked ahead and did a move very similar to what she did at the movie, "Cheers! Calliope… I don't even…"

The speechless look was more than enough for her to know she did well. Similar to Aladdin, last month Arizona had told her that her favorite show growing up, weirdly enough, was Cheers. And how when she'd moved around from base to base, she would always think of the theme song because she had always wanted to be somewhere where people knew her name instead of constantly moving to new places. So what better place to bring her other than the pub that was based off of the show?

"I'm going to hold your hand," she announced, teasingly, before doing so and smiling brightly at her, "This was the best dinner and a movie I could have ever asked for. It's like taking the average date and Arizona-fying it!"

She laughed, loving this excited side of the blonde, "That was the idea."

The shorter woman excitedly tugged on her hand and led them in, and brought them to sit at the bar. After they slipped out of their coats and hung them on the back of their chairs, Arizona insisted they both order a kind of beer Callie had never heard of before, but the blonde said that when she imagined being in the show, that was what she would order. The beer _was_ good, she admitted after drinking it.

Callie opened her mouth to comment on the fact that Arizona used to imagine herself coming into a bar when she watched this show, which was mostly in her early teens, when her phone rang. The blonde gave her an apologetic look before digging it out of her pocket. Seeing the name, blue eyes seemed uncertain and she looked up, "It's my mom. I don't want to… I can call her back later."

She waved it off, encouraging, "No, no. Answer it. I mean, you answered that time where we were on your way up to you apartment –"

Then she laughed as Arizona pointedly cut her off and answered the call, "Hey, mom… No, I didn't leave my phone charger there… I'm positive; I charged my phone last night…"

She felt a stab of envy listening in; Arizona was so close with her parents. She was lucky. Blue eyes rolled and she indicated that her mom was talking a lot. Callie smiled, knowing how that was. Her mom – back when they spoke – would do the same thing.

Finally, Arizona spoke, lowering her voice even though Callie could still hear her perfectly, "Mhmm. Okay, but I can't really talk about phone chargers right now. I'm on a date… yes, with Calliope," she said, and her eyes flickered to Callie just in time to see her smile.

She felt insanely pleased that Arizona's mother knew about her already and she lifted an eyebrow, smiling even wider at the blonde's clear embarrassment.

"Mom! No, you _cannot_ talk to her. Because she doesn't want to talk to my mom," she hissed into the receiver.

Callie was already reaching out for the phone, snatching it easily away from unprepared hands, "Hello?"

A startled voice asked, "Is this Calliope?"

"Well, I prefer Callie, but yes. Is this Mrs. Robbins?" she asked, enjoying seeing Arizona squirm in her chair.

"It absolutely is! You can call me Barbara, Callie. How is your date going?" Mrs. Robbins – Barbara – told her, her voice was cheery, and sounded a lot like Arizona's.

Giving Arizona, who had her face covered by her hands, a smile, she answered, "It's going fairly well, I think. Then again, I enjoy pretty much all of the time I spend with Arizona, so I don't have a very clear judgment of whether or not it's a great time."

"Oh, that's so sweet. Arizona hasn't said much about you – she's a fairly private person about her love life - but I know she likes you a lot. She was even wearing your clothes when she was here over break," she informed her, and Callie could swear she could _hear_ a smile in her voice.

Her own smile broke out on her face, perfectly picturing how the blonde had worn her old shirt and sweatpants as she'd left that fateful morning two weeks ago, and she really, really loved that Arizona wore them when she'd gone home. She lifted an eyebrow in her direction, repeating the words just for her benefit, "She really wore my clothes?"

Before Arizona's mom could respond, the blonde's hand shot out before Callie could stop her, and grabbed her phone back, "Mother, I am going to go now. Please let me know when you and Calliope are getting together for a book club or scrapbooking… yes, I love you, too. Bye."

After the phone was hung up, Arizona placed it on the bar, her head in her hands. After a few seconds of silence, Callie thought she pushed Arizona too far. She could hardly get used to the idea of them being a couple, and there Callie was, already talking to her mom. Reaching her hand up, she touched it to Arizona's shoulder, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to your mom. I overstepped and –"

"It's okay," the blonde cut her off, and sat up straight to look at her, "I'm not mad at you – or her. Believe me, I knew as soon as we decided to date, my mom was going to be all over you. That sounds weird, but you know what I mean."

Confused, she asked, "Then what's the problem?"

Arizona gave her a look that told her she was being oblivious, before whispering, "I'm a little embarrassed." When Callie gave her a blank look, she expanded, "You know, she told you I was wearing your clothes…"

Before Callie had the chance to respond, Arizona's phone buzzed with a text and they both looked down to see that her mom sent, _I like her! Good job, honey_. The blonde groaned, "And now there's this."

Her thumb swiped across the screen, hit "back" into messages, about to clear it back to the homepage of her phone when one thing caught Callie's eye, and she reached out to still Arizona's hand, pointing to where her name popped up, "Does that say CalliopeXOXO?"

"Oh my god," she dropped the phone back down to the bar, then let her head fall on a similar path, "Please kill me." On the contrary; Callie wanted to bundle Arizona up in her arms and keep her, forever. But she couldn't say that, and before she could think of what _to_ say, the smaller woman lifted her head and held her finger in the air, "But I can explain your name in my phone – Teddy did it. As for the clothes…" she trailed off, her cheeks flaming red.

Callie loved every second of it, but decided to put Arizona out of her misery and leaned forward, resting her forehead against the side of the blonde's, "It's okay. I liked when I saw you wearing my clothes, and I like the idea of you wearing them."

She turned her head so that blue and brown eyes connected only inches away from each other, "I can give them back to you, soon."

Pulling away, she shook her head, "No, I want you to keep them. I just told you, I like the idea of you wearing them."

"Good, because I like wearing them," she admitted, then added, "But I think I need to trade them in for some Calliope-smelling ones. Now they smell like Arizona."

"Well, that's good because as coincidence has it, I like the smell of Arizona. I think that would be a fair trade," she grinned when the blonde leaned forward, and took the opportunity to sniff the curled blonde hair, then sighed, "Yeah, you definitely smell better."

A nose poked into Callie's neck, and made her shiver as she could feel Arizona inhale against her skin, "Nope, I'm pretty sure it's you."

"I'm pretty sure we look crazy," she commented, catching the raised eyebrow of the person sitting on the other side of Arizona. As soon as the blonde leaned back, she quickly added on, "But it's definitely you."

Shaking her head, that addicting giggle came out, "Okay, Calliope, whatever you say." She finished her beer and set it back down on the bar, "So I just had a drink at Cheers. That's one of my life goals done, on stage two of our date. How many stages are there?"

"Just three," she shrugged, and reached down to play with Arizona's fingers on the hand that was resting on her knee.

With narrowed eyes, she speculated, "Just three? What could the next mysterious stage one be?"

She perked up, leaning in, "This one isn't a mystery. We're going back to your apartment for some _highly_ inappropriate making out."

Blonde eyebrows rose, "My apartment?"

She nodded, then gave up playing with the hand to hold it – maybe she was the compulsive hand holder. What did it really matter? "That's a recent development; originally, it was going to be mine, but yours is closer."

Arizona scooted her stool in closer, so that she was practically sitting between Callie's legs, "How come tonight we can have a highly inappropriate make-out session but we couldn't last night?"

Letting go of her hand, she placed both of hers on the blonde's knees, and she could feel her body heat through the fabric of her jeans as she slowly drew them up her thighs, "Because… last night was spontaneous, but tonight, I'm prepared."

Her eyes snapped up from watching Callie's hands on her legs so that Callie could see the rapidly darkening of her blue eyes, and see her swallow hard before asking, "And by "prepared" you mean… you…"

Leaning in so that her mouth was right next to Arizona's ear she whispered, "I mean that before I got dressed, I touched myself and imagined it was you touching me." She felt her shudder against her, and shuddered in response, remembering her earlier activities.

A strangled groan made its way out of the blonde's mouth, "God, Calliope, how do you expect _me_ to wait until the third date when you say stuff like that? I need to touch you, tonight."

Her own voice was strained as want tore through her like a hurricane, "I think that highly inappropriate making out warrants for some touching."

Arizona had already threw money down on the bar and was buttoning up her jacket before she had another thought, "It's been great getting to be in Cheers and all, but… I think stage three needs to be addressed. Now."

Nodding in agreement, she put on her own coat, and Arizona had taken her by the hand and pulled her out of the restaurant and back to her apartment in record timing. She could barely even remember the journey; she just remembered the way the combination of skinny jeans and heeled boots made her butt look so fucking delicious. As much as she knew the blonde had a thing for her boobs, she herself had one for that incredible butt.

By the time Arizona's apartment door slammed closed behind them, they had both shed all of their outdoor clothing, and she was led by the blonde to mirror the positions they were in last night, as she was pushed onto the couch and Arizona was on top of her, legs landing on either side of her hips.

Immediately, a hungry mouth was on hers, and their lips melted together, tongues battling for dominance. Arizona circled her tongue around Callie's, then stroked the tip of it against the roof of the Latina's mouth, causing sensations swirl in her stomach that she had never felt before. Her own tried the actions in the blonde's mouth, making Arizona moan.

Swallowing the sound, she lifted her hands onto thighs that were unbelievably toned from running, slipping to the back of her legs and stroking up and down through the fabric before lifting both of them to cup that ass. She groaned into the hot mouth working magic against her own, rubbing the rounded flesh, but it wasn't enough – she wanted to touch her skin.

Leaning her head back, Arizona panted down at her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just – I want… skin. I want to touch _you_," she managed to get out, feeling Arizona shake her hips back into her grasp.

"Yes," came the single word granting her access before blonde hair swooped forward, curtaining both of their faces, and lips reattached to her own, while Callie brought her hands up to rest on her lower back before sliding them down, under the waist of both jeans and underwear to directly cup the soft skin.

Rejoicing, she squeezed tightly – she hadn't felt the bare skin under her hands in_ months_. Since November. Much, much, much too long. Releasing her hold, she kneaded her fingers as best she could with the jeans restricting her movements, while Arizona writhed against her touch, jerking her mouth back, "M-me too; I want to touch you, too."

Fuck, she wanted Arizona to touch her, too. Nodding, she used her grip on the firm ass to pull her forward, making the blonde topple over, onto her chest. "Touch. Touch me."

Hands lifted her shirt so that is draped over her bra and she watched as her mouth fell open, a guttural groan released into the air, "You seriously have the fucking best boobs in the country. The world."

These words, much like when she told her she was beautiful, made her feel amazing. Not because of the words themselves, because other people had told her she had nice boobs. But because of the fact that it was _Arizona_ saying it, and that she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she meant it.

Simultaneously, a hand slipped into the cup of her bra while the other went to land on the back of the couch to hold the blonde up, and her mouth landed right over the pulse point on Callie's neck. Her hands massaged into Arizona's ass, while talented fingers toyed with her nipple, pinching it, before rubbing her palm against it.

The mouth working against her neck groaned, sending shivers throughout her body, while her hand tweaked her nipple in the best freaking way, and her ass arched into her palms… Arizona was amazing, there was no other way to say it, and, "I love you."

She didn't realize she'd spoken the words out loud until everything stopped. The mouth on her neck was removed, the hand from her bra was gone, her shirt falling down, landing halfway over her stomach, and the arching ended so abruptly as her butt fell down to rest unceremoniously on Callie's knees that her hands slipped right out of the fabric.

Dumbfounded blue eyes stared at her, "What did you just say?"

Her hands landed on the couch, on either side of Arizona's legs, "I said… that I love you." Oh, god, she messed everything up. Her heart couldn't decide if it was going to stop or beat so fast she had a heart attack, and she just swallowed hard, waiting for Arizona to say something – anything.

Her hands clenched tightly on the back of the sofa on either side of Callie's head, "We were… it was one of things where in the heat of the moment and words just come out?" she guessed, and her voice sounded hopeful.

Arizona was giving her an out, and it was an out that Arizona clearly wanted her to take. But now that she'd said the words, she couldn't unsay them, and she wasn't going to lie, "No. I meant them. I wouldn't say that unless I meant it." The blonde was silent, and Callie looked up at her face, which was unreadable to her. The silence drove her to keep talking, "I wasn't supposed to tell you; I meant to hold the words in. And I know it's only our second date, but we've been doing… this… thing for five months now, and that's long enough. For me." With a deep breath, she pushed through her own nerves that were building in her stomach, "For me, five months is long enough to know whether or not I love someone."

Arizona wasn't running away or pushing her out of the apartment. And she didn't look mad. She looked… uncertain and dazed, and in a swift motion, she rolled off Callie's body, "I, um. I don't really know what to tell you."

Now her heart had decided – it was going to beat so intensely, it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, and she quickly turned in her seat, "I don't expect you to say it back." The relief was apparent on Arizona's face, and… dear god, she _wanted_ to hear the words back, badly, but she knew that was going to take more time. More seconds ticked by and she hesitantly reached her hand out, her pinky tracing over the back of Arizona's, "I'm sorry for saying it before you're ready to hear it. But… just… please don't pull away because I said that I love you. I won't say it again until you're more ready to hear it. Don't pull away."

Slowly, Arizona's finger returned her stroking, but she noted that the blonde didn't turn her hand over for them to make the contact Callie had teased her for earlier, but now desperately wanted to make. "I'm, um, I'm not. I won't. I just need to think. To process. But I'm not pulling away."

And she wasn't going to push her, Callie resolved, refusing to let her hand flip Arizona's over to hold in her own, and making herself be content with that. She wasn't going to pull away, "I'm going to hold you to that."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who already does/has, it means the world to me to get feedback. I seriously love writing this story so much, and you are all the best for reading it. **


	18. One Day

Arizona gripped tightly to her spatula, taking a deep breath, before opening the door to her apartment, revealing Callie standing on the other side. A smile was on her face before she even realized it, and she looked the Latina up and down, taking in her sneakers, sweatpants, and puffy coat, to her hair that was thrown into a messy ponytail. Biting her lip lightly, she felt… shy. Which was weird, because Arizona Robbins, regardless of the situation or people involved, so very rarely felt shy, "Hi."

The tall woman quirked an eyebrow at her, "Hi? Arizona, I thought you were like dying or something. Are you okay?"

A blush rose to her cheeks and she thought of the text message she'd sent to Callie about a half hour ago, asking her to come over as soon as possible. "I'm, um, I'm fine. I just," she huffed out a breath, "I wanted to talk to you."

Callie was still looking at her questionably, and slowly said, "Okay… about what?" Before Arizona could respond, brown eyes looked at the spatula in her hand, then sniffed the air, "Wait a second, are you cooking? Something smells…"

"Crap!" she squeaked, turning and racing back toward the kitchen where she'd left her grilled cheese sandwiches on the burner when she'd heard Callie's knock on the door. Turning the flame off, she flipped the sandwiches, noting that on one side they were charred black. Sighing, she slipped them onto a plate and then placed the plate on the small kitchen table she had, inviting Callie to sit, before twisting her hands together.

The Latina had followed her, and took a seat, cautiously, still staring at her with her eyebrows raised. The concern in her voice was obvious, "What… is going on? What is this?"

Trying to take a deep breath to calm her speeding heart, which really didn't help her at all, she cleared her throat, "I made you dinner. I know it's bad, because I can't really make anything, but the only two things I can do at all are grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese."

Slowly, Callie nodded, taking in the table that was set in Arizona's brightly colored ceramic plates, with the two aforementioned dishes sitting out in front of her, "Okay… why? I mean, thank you. But… Arizona," dark, confused eyes searched her face, "After last night, I thought you were going to want a few days off," her husky voice admitted.

Last night. Blue eyes flickered out the kitchen doorway, looking down the hall to see the couch in the living room. Callie's words from last night, her _I love you_, echoed off the walls in there. Bringing her eyes back to the concerned ones watching her every move, she let out a deep breath she'd been holding in and just forced out the words she'd been thinking in the last twenty-four hours out, "I, well, I do. That's the thing, I woke up this morning and I couldn't really sleep at all last night because what you said was just playing in my head."

_I love you_.

Shaking her head as if to clear it as the words bounced around some more, she pushed on, "And even though I wanted to see you today and talk to you today, I stopped every time because what you said scared me, and when I'm scared, I pull away. But I promised you last night that I wouldn't and I don't want to. Because I really like you, and because of you, I've come this far."

Callie narrowed her eyes in thought, "So, because you wanted to pull away from me, you texted me to come over so you could make me dinner?"

Her face flashed in a bright smile before dropping quickly, "Exactly. It sounds stupid – silly – but if I don't push myself to do things like be with you even when I'm scared then I'm not going to do them. And I don't want to not do them, because as much as you do make me feel uncertain and even though I don't know how you saying that you…" the words just couldn't come out of her throat and she swallowed them back down, "You know, doesn't change anything, I just feel like it does."

A tan hand reached out and took a hold of hers, pulling her forward, and her voice was low, "It doesn't have to."

Involuntarily, she took a step closer holding tight to the soft hand that was gripping her own as her throat felt tight, "But I feel like it does, Calliope, because only one woman, only Joanne, has ever said that to me and… that didn't turn out so well. And because of her, those words _scare_ me." The feelings she saw in those eyes, the _love_, made tears blur her vision, her words coming out broken, "I don't know if I… if I can ever feel that way again. I don't know if I'm can because what if after I gave up on believing in love for so long, it gave up on me? What if that's all there is?"

She had her eyes tightly closed, trying to ward off stupid tears that wanted to fall down her cheeks, and she heard a chair scrape backwards before strong arms banded around her, and Callie's voice was low in her ear, "Arizona, I know that what I said scared you. But listen to me, okay? You _can_ love, and you aren't the only one who's ever felt like you feel right now. I've been hurt and cheated on, too. I _know_ how it feels, because I have my whole history that you don't even know about. Joanne really messed up, and when she did, she messed you up. I get that. But I'm not her; you don't have to be afraid of me. And I need to know that you know that," she pleaded.

Dropping her head so it rested on Callie's shoulder, she inhaled her scent in a deep breath, before stepping back, "I do know you aren't her," she promised, before clenching her hands together, "I know that. But I don't know if I can handle ever getting hurt like that again… I just know that while I want to be with you, I don't know where to go from here."

Callie reached her hand forward and gently wrapped a blonde curl around her finger before tucking it behind Arizona's ear, the motion making Arizona shiver, "I just want to be clear, and seriously hear me right now. Okay?" She nodded, the side of her face rubbing against Callie's palm, urging her to continue, "Where we go from here is the same direction we were going in before I said anything. I meant what I said – I don't expect you to say that you love me. People have told me they love me back when they don't mean it, just because I've said it to them. I wear my emotions of my sleeve, and I always have. But I've learned from my experiences, too, and I would rather have you not say those words to me than say them and not mean them. Regardless of how long it takes."

Unable to stop herself, she turned her face into Callie's hand, planting a kiss against her palm because this woman amazed her, whispering against her skin, "You're so open with me, and I don't even know what I did to deserve you."

The hand that was resting against her mouth flexed once, before sliding down, over her shoulder, down her arm, to grip her waist, "I'm open because I'm no good at _not_ being open. And "what you did to deserve me?" A relationship isn't a competition, Arizona. Do you understand what just went on in your kitchen? _You_ were open with me, and I know it's hard for you. It's a give and take. As long as we're doing that, it's all you have to do for me."

Her own hands reached up, cupping on either side of the Latina's face, drawing her own, whispering, "Then I'll do my best," before touching their lips together. She just wanted this – them – reaffirmed. And the light brushing did that for her. There was still this feeling of fear settled in her stomach, and she knew she wouldn't be able to just let that go. But she wasn't going to give up, not when Callie said that she… you know, and not when she'd already come so far.

The raven haired woman drew back slightly, sliding her tongue over her bottom lip – God, Callie did really good things with her tongue – before sighing and letting go of her hold on Arizona's hips, "Now… for the first time ever, Arizona Robbins has made me a homemade meal, and I am going to sit down and enjoy it."

A giggle worked its way out of her mouth, watching as Callie pulled out a chair at the table and settled herself into it, "Because of my consideration for your health and safety, this first homemade meal at my hands should probably be the last."

The blonde slid into the chair across from her, watching as the Latina put a spoonful of the macaroni and cheese onto her plate, then take one of the grilled cheese on there, too, laughing, "It's grilled cheese and macaroni… I'm sure it's fine."

"Mhmm," she hummed, watching in anticipation as Callie picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She raised her eyebrows at the loud crunch, and couldn't contain her laugh as Callie tried to put on a brave and valiant front, taking a few bites as her eyes watered.

A cough worked its way up her throat, and a tanned face slightly paled, but she managed to swallow the bite, "It's… um… it's…" she coughed again, then reached for the glass of water next to her, chugging it down. Placing the cup back down, she shook her head, "Okay, in the name of being open with you, that was horrible. Sorry, sweetie, but how about we leave the cooking to me?"

Throwing her head back and laughing, she felt her stomach tingle and she looked back at the brunette, "Did you just call me sweetie?"

After another sip of water, Callie raised an eyebrow, "Do you… not like names like that?"

She let the word replay in her mind, the way the word rolled naturally off her tongue, "I think I didn't mind it." Her voice sounded surprised, even to her own ears. She and Joanne hadn't indulged in those kind of nicknames for each other, but she found that when Callie said it, in her voice, she kind of liked it.

A smile played on full lips, "Good. Sweetie baby cookie honey," she teased, making Arizona laugh.

"Maybe not to that extent, Calliope. Don't get carried away," she advised, then raised her eyebrows as Callie lifted her fork and dipped it into the macaroni and cheese, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Looking at the fork with trepidation, the Latina shook her head, "Not entirely sure, no. I mean, eating something made by the woman who messed up a grilled cheese? But someone called me over here before I could eat the dinner I was preparing at my apartment, and I'm hungry. Wish me luck."

The fork was lifted to those lips, and as it slowly disappeared within them, then was equally slowly pulled out, she felt her throat go a little dry. Those lips… reaching out, she took her own water in her hand and drank it down, cooling herself, before asking, "So? How is it?"

As she finished chewing, Callie's voice was relieved, "Not bad. A little dry, but definitely edible. I'm so impressed."

She shrugged, "Only Kraft's finest for you," she winked, then reached to scoop some of the mediocre macaroni onto her own plate, thinking over Callie's words from a few minute ago, "So, your own history that I don't know about. Do you… would you mind…" the words she was searching for weren't coming easily to her. She wanted to know more about the Latina; wanted to know about her past.

But Callie knew what she was getting at and she nodded, "You did tell me about yours." Pushing around her food on her plate, she sighed, "I had high school boyfriends, but they were just… we would be together and would fizzle out. The first person I thought I loved was George," she name made Callie scrunch up her face in an expression Arizona couldn't quite decipher, "He was this underdog type guy, who was cute in an understated way. He was kind-of friends with Cristina, which is how I met him, my first year in medical school. He was still in undergrad, and he swept me off my feet in this dorky sort of way. He's the one… he said he loved me when he really didn't, just because I said it to him. Just because he thought it was what I wanted to hear."

Taking in the information, she nodded, then reached out her hand under the table to find Callie's. She guessed she really was a compulsive hand holder as the Latina had pointed out last night. But Callie had such nice hands – they were contrastingly strong and soft, and they _always_ held right back. She liked that.

After taking a bite, Callie continued, "Through our entire year-long relationship, George wasn't a… _bad_ guy. But he never stuck up for me, to anyone. His best friend was this girl, Izzie, who never liked me. She constantly knocked me down," the brunette's voice was practically a growl, "She's this freaking woman who does _modeling_ to pay her med school bills, and she was jealous of us." She rolled her eyes, "He told me that she was definitely not jealous because she was so beautiful and there was no way she would be interested in him. And a little over a year into it – around last October – I found out that they were sleeping together, and had been for a few months."

And there it was. How Callie had known just what to say to her after she'd told her about Joanne, "Calliope, I'm so sorry."

Clear brown eyes looked into hers, a thumb swiping over her hand, "I mean, it's not the same thing as what you went through. Not as bad, I guess."

Her eyebrows drew together, "I mean, the situations were different, but they're terrible just the same. You deserve better," she said, remembering Callie's words to her from nights ago. A moment ticked by and she tightened her hold on the soft, tan hand briefly and whispered, "I can't promise a lot… but I'll never cheat on you."

"I'll never do that to you, either," Callie assured, even though Arizona didn't need to hear her say that. Despite her issues, she liked to think that she knew Callie better than that.

"I know. But thanks for saying it," she added with a small smile, loving the way brown eyes lit up, "So, how did you start dating women?"

Callie's other hand came up to play with Arizona's fingers, toying them, "Ah, yes. George was out of the picture – he goes to Tufts now, for his grad school – and I was pretty bummed out. Pissed off. I started to hang out with Dr. Webber's TA before you. Erica Hahn. She was… abrasive and straight forward, and after being lied to by George, I think I liked that about her. She was easy to get along with, and soon I started spending more time with her than with Mark and Addison."

Erica, she remembered, was the name of Callie's first girlfriend, the one she'd been kissing in the rose gardens when Callie's parents had found them this past summer. "Was Erica gay?"

"Not before… she'd never been with a woman before me. We kind of joked about it, being lesbians, because it used to get Mark all riled up," she let out a small laugh before becoming thoughtful, "But then Addison pointed out that we seemed to be more serious about it than intended. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was starting to think about her in a non-friendly way. I freaked out, a bit, and reverted back to sleeping with Mark for a while."

Ugh. She'd nearly forgotten about that. It had only been brought up that one time between the two of them, on Halloween. Even then, when she had no right to want to hit Mark in the face with a brick, she'd wanted to. Now, she felt she did reserve the right to hate that other people had seen and felt Callie naked, especially people who she still saw all of the time.

Callie snorted out a laugh, reaching up to rub her thumb at the line Arizona knew appeared between her eyebrows when she was annoyed or upset, "Mark and I were never anything more than friends with benefits. It was just convenient for both of us."

She huffed, "I know how _that_ starts." You start by thinking you can just have sex with Callie, but then she just won't leave your system and you develop all these feelings. And she was jealous that Mark experienced that.

"No, you don't. Mark and I never wanted anything from each other like what I want from you. And I never wanted him the way I want you," she drew her thumb lightly down Arizona's neck, pausing briefly on her pulse point, making it race.

Swallowing hard, she reached up and took Callie's other hand in hers and brought it down. Her damn raging libido had to be kept in check, and it seemed that the lightest touches from the Latina could light her on fire, "I've never wanted _anyone_ the way I want you." And how true those words were was shocking – even Joanne… she didn't think she'd ever felt the same level of physical need she felt for Callie for anyone else, ever. Drawing in a deep breath, she nearly shuddered it out, "Okay, so Erica. Skip past Mark, if you will."

That megawatt smile appeared, and Callie nodded, "Last year, right after fall semester finals, I just… kissed her. It was awkward for a while, but before long we were figuring out dating each other, and being with each other. It was new and exciting, and we were only technically together for six months before I brought her home for the Fourth of July. Not intending for my parents to find out about us, as you know, but… well, they did and then…" she trailed off, heaving a sigh.

"And then?" she asked, needing to know. The Fourth of July was less than two months before they met. What happened in that short amount of time?

With a deep breath, she shrugged, "And then, that was it. The next day, I was really upset and I was going to see Aria. Erica and I got into a fight because I just didn't know what to do, about anything. I had cut off my parents the night before and I was freaking out. She didn't do well with high emotion and gray areas, and I was in both. She told me she was coming back to Boston early – our pre-bought plane tickets weren't for another week. She said she would meet me at Logan Airport on my appointed arrival date, but she wasn't there. Then she wasn't in her apartment, either, and she had a new phone number, too. And, obviously, she didn't come back to finish her final year here, because well, you have her old job."

When Callie looked up at her, she was just dumbfounded, "Your girlfriend… disappeared?"

"Yep," she bobbed her head, "Off the map. I was really, um, thrown off my game. I felt like I was nothing. It was terrible. And then, a little over a month later, I met you."

When that huge, sincere smile was thrown her way again, there were butterflies the size of frogs jumping around in her stomach. She was just so… she was able to move on and be open to love – to loving _her_ – and Arizona was incredibly envious and enthralled by that Callie's experiences didn't mirror her own, but they were still so awful, "I can't believe Erica and George treated you that way." Callie was about to speak, when Arizona remembered a detail from the tale that had slipped by her in the moment. Mouth falling open, she jumped up from her chair, "Wait just a second here. George said that his friend was too pretty to be with him? Like you weren't?"

Callie let out a sharp, harsh laugh, shifting a bit in her chair, "Yeah… I mean, I'm obviously no model, but who says something like that to their girlfriend?"

Arizona stared down at her, still completely staggered, "Are you kidding me, Calliope? You are the single most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. That includes models in magazines."

There was a light blush that came up on Callie's cheeks that she found adorable, as the Latina responded, "Arizona, it's okay."

"It's not okay," it wasn't okay, because she couldn't believe someone had implied to her that she was anything less than stunning, and she really couldn't believe she might believe it for a second.

Using her hold on the Latina's hands, she gripped hard and pulled up, forcing her to stand before she spun them, pressing Callie's back against the fridge. Lifting her hand, she reached out and pulled down the neckline of the shirt she was wearing, seeing the fucking gorgeous breasts encased in a black bra, "Um, yep, definitely better than any model I've ever seen."

A laugh rumbled from the chest she was staring at, causing those boobs to bounce, and she stood, transfixed. Her throat was dry by the time she looked back at Callie's face, whose eyes had also darkened. She had to clear it twice in order to speak, "So, does this count as our third date?"

Callie's voice already had that deepened edge to it that it did when she was turned on, "I think so. We had dinner and meaningful conversation. I mean, I had been planning to look a little bit better than this for our third date –"

"No, no. This is good," she assured, and in one swift pull tugged off the loose shirt, dropping it to the kitchen floor, "Loose clothes. Easy access," she mumbled, leaning forward up on her tiptoes as Callie's mouth came crashing down.

Those lips, she thought again, as they cushioned against her own. They were so incredibly full and they always felt so _good_ against hers. She wasted no time nipping her teeth into the bottom one, bringing her hands up to slide over the soft caramel skin of her stomach, "Bedroom," was all she could manage, but Callie tore her mouth away and grabbed her hand, hurrying toward it.

God, yes. She wanted to feel Callie on her, in her. _She_ wanted to be in and on Callie. Lifting her hand, she unsnapped the plain black bra holding in those glorious breasts, then turned the Latina to face her as the back of the taller woman's knees hit the bed. Reaching her hands up to touch her soft skin, she pushed on her shoulders, encouraging the fall, before she dropped down herself, right on top.

Right so her face landed on and nestled into the valley between her boobs. Stomach tightening, she felt herself clench, wasting no time in flicking out her tongue and dragging a trail to one of her dark nipples, her hand coming up to play with the other one. They both groaned, because Jesus, this was amazing. She'd been able to feel these breasts, this nipple against her hand last night, but it really didn't compare to tasting her, being able to brush her tongue against the hardened tip.

Before Callie, she didn't even know it was possible to get so wet just by touching another woman. But it was and it felt so, so good. Long fingers curled in her hair, guiding her to switch her mouth to the other breast, and as soon as her tongue connected to the nipple, curved hips jumped up against hers, grinding.

"Arizona," Callie gasped out, "I want… too many clothes," she muttered, arching her chest into the blonde's face, while simultaneously grabbing at the shirt Arizona was wearing and pulling, somewhat ineffectually up.

Reluctantly, she pulled back, sitting up on her knees looking down at Callie. Raven hair spread out over her sheets, topless, hips jerking… "I love how you look in my bed."

"I love how you look at me when we're in your bed," she countered, and pushed herself to sit up, merely centimeters left between them, her hands sliding down Arizona's sides, and inching up her shirt, thumbs stroking all of the exposed skin in its wake.

Lifting her arms to assist, Callie continued to pull upwards, sliding her shirt off her slowly, smoothly, blonde hair tumbling around her face for a second before two tan hands swiped it back over her shoulders, then fingers slid forward, gently stroking over the skin of Arizona's face, tracing her features, "I love how you look at me all the time," she admitted.

Leaning her head just a little bit forward, she touched their foreheads together, "And how's that?"

"Like I really am more beautiful than models," those hands tipped her mouth forward, and she sought out Callie's lips with her own, pressing a kiss to one side of her mouth, then the other, before giving her another feather-light one right in the middle of her top lip.

She leaned her whole body forward, making it so their stomachs pressed against each other, "You are." Feeling Callie's hands go to her back and unclasp her bra, she leaned back for just a second to draw it off her arms before letting it fall… who cared where, then leaned forward again, both of their abdomen's twitching against each other's as their entire upper bodies made full contact, and Callie went back to laying down, Arizona going with her.

Her knees fell on either side of Callie's, her thigh pushing into the Latina's center, feeling the heat through her sweatpants. Those hands were back on her face, and guided their lips together. She moaned feeling the tip of Callie's tongue edging into her mouth, her own meeting it, sliding against it, in a languorous rhythm that their hips soon started to pick up.

Within minutes, their hips were working faster, and Arizona would feel herself already getting prepared for an orgasm, and the whimpers Callie was making told her she was feeling the same way. Tearing her mouth away, she brought her hands down to Callie's hips.

"Up," she panted, her request immediately complied with, and she sat up, dragging both the pants and underwear down long legs, her eyes drawn to the apex between her thighs, already visibly glistening, and she swallowed, wanting badly to taste what she hadn't tasted in months.

In a move she was too distracted to see coming, Callie flipped them, and she landed on her back. The Latina was up on her knees between Arizona's legs, and she wore a small smile that was so freaking gorgeous, as she reached her own hands out, pulling down Arizona's bottoms. Arizona _knew_ she was dripping already, but seeing Callie over her made her even more aroused, and her hips writhed on the bed.

Callie dropped forward, propping herself up on one elbow, drawing her hand slowly up the blonde's thigh, making her shiver in response, anticipating the next touch and, "Calliope!" Yessss, Callie's single finger made contact with her slit, gathering moisture to then bring it up to circle her clit in a touch that was almost feather light and succeeded in driving her crazy.

Her hands fisted in the sheets briefly, before she got the idea… quickly, she flipped them back over, bringing her hands down to spread Callie's thighs wide, then she lifted herself over the brunette, lowering herself slowly until their core's met, wet heat mixing.

Breath leaving her in a rush, she dropped down to rest both hands on either side of her head, careful not to catch any of that dark hair under her, as she circled her hips. "Arizona… god," Callie shuddered, her back arching, making their torsos press skin on skin once more.

As Callie's hips bucked into hers, they quickly set a rhythm. So good. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dripping down, her body jerking faster. When caramel legs wrapped around her thighs, she fell forward, and their clits brushed with the best wet friction there would ever possibly be. Moaning into her neck, "Calliope! I'm going to… I'm going… can you come like – oh, yes – this?"

A breathless laugh that tapered off into a moan against her ear sent shivers down her spine, "Are you – shit, Arizona, yes – kidding? I'm close, so, so close. Just a little more…" she whimpered, a high pitched sound ripping from her throat.

Grunting in response, Arizona got enough strength to thrust down twice more in rapid succession, then grinded. A scream tore through the room as Callie jerked against her, nearly obsidian dark eyes blurred in pleasure, and feeling the excess wetness against herself, feeling _Callie_ sent her over. Collapsing on top of her, she bucked for long moments, shaking as the orgasm ripped through her.

When it was over, she had no strength. Coming back to herself, she tried to roll off of the Latina, but the arms and legs that were still wrapped around her tightened, Callie's voice groaning out, "No. Don't move, not yet."

So she stayed, her face pressed against Callie's sweat dampened neck, as they both regained their breath. Eventually, she semi rolled off to the side, half on her stomach, half on Callie, her leg tangled between two tan ones, her hand lightly cupping her breast, thumb occasionally swiping over a still hard nipple.

Comfortable, she faded in and out of that place between sleep and consciousness, only slightly jarred when Callie whispered – who knows how long later – "Are you awake?"

Working up enough energy to even groan was a stretch, but she was trying. Just before she was able to say something, anything, the body under hers lightly sighed, and a hand stroked down her back, then up, and impossibly lightly traced her finger down Arizona's jaw, "I love you. I know that you don't know, but I do. And one day soon, you're going to realize that you love me back."

She could easily pretend to be asleep. Pretend that she never heard any of the words Callie whispered to her in the still of the night. Once upon a time, she would have. But these last few days, and especially tonight, _changed_ things for her. The hand not cupping her breast, but the one folded under her head, tangled in Callie's hair stroked lightly and she whispered back ,"One day."

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	19. Girlfriend

The alarm clock blared throughout the room, yanking her out of sleep with its angry beat. Her hand reached out automatically to silence it, pulling away from the soft, warm body it was resting on, and slapping the top of the device with the offending sound, before placing her hand lightly, palm down, on Callie's stomach, feeling it move up and down with every breath.

She'd spent the night with the Latina only one other time, almost three weeks ago, and that morning their time in bed had been brief. And not naked. This morning, however, she looked down to see how the sheet that had been covering them had fallen down to lopsidedly draped across Callie's stomach, they were definitely naked. Under the covers, she could feel how Callie's leg was hooked around hers, their bare legs tightly intertwined.

She hadn't woken up naked in bed with a woman in since Joanne. And even then, in their cumulatively seven year relationship, waking up with all bare skin was rare – Joanne hadn't liked to sleep naked. She usually put something on after they had sex, before sleep. With a small smile, she slid her hand up the soft skin, to cup it over one of those breasts, her fingers lightly stroking, Callie groaning in her sleep, shifting her body firmer into the touch.

Waking up without clothes, snuggled into a warm embrace was definitely better than any other way she would think of waking up. That was another thing she wasn't used to – waking up in an embrace. Joanne was the sort of person who _might_ fall asleep while cuddling but more often than not preferred to be on her side of the bed. Alone.

This, she sighed, feeling Callie's arm wrapped around her waist was better. Dropping her face until it rested completely pressed against caramel skin, her forehead on Callie's shoulder, she nuzzled her nose against her. It should have been impossible how good the Latina smelled, even after a night of long, sweaty sex, she thought, remembering how they'd both fallen asleep after the first round, then woken up again sometime around three to go again.

Though she normally wasn't one who stayed lounging around in bed after waking up, she didn't want to leave. She even liked the low, continuous snoring that came from those luscious lips. Closing her eyes, she could still hear Callie's words from last night, and she could feel herself repeating "one day" back to her. It had felt right to say, but in the light of day, it unnerved her a little bit. She didn't regret saying it, because she wanted to give Callie _something_ back, and the words had been true.

With a deep breath, she reminded herself that Callie wasn't Joanne. And in the entire time she and Joanne had been together, her mossy green eyes had never shined at her the way these brown ones did. But her blues had shined like that once, and getting back to a place where it could happen again was frightening. And strangely, unexpectedly, exhilarating.

The shriek of the alarm sounded again, and this time it took her a moment to lift her head and slap her hand around a bit, trying to find snooze. Callie's sleep heavy voice groaned, "Shut it off."

"I'm trying," she responded, finally hitting the button on the top to make it end, then she sat up to look down at the barely awake Latina.

Dark hair tumbled onto her blue pillows, and her eyes were squeezed tightly closed, her mouth forming an adorable little pout, "Why is your alarm set for six?"

Arizona made a fist around the sheet and tugged it down, revealing that smooth skin of her abdomen, then skimming her hand up to whisper over the places her eyes were staring at, "Because I have to shower and get ready for the first day of the semester; I have my first class at eight."

"Hmm," came the half-asleep sigh, "What classes do you have today?"

"Just Mechanisms of Vertebrae Development," she answered, walking her fingers up along the ribs she could feel as Callie lied on her back, up to the area right between her breasts, "Then I'm with Webber for his Advanced Cell Biology seminar this afternoon. What about you?"

Tracing her fingers in light designs of wide figure-eights, skating around the chest that was just begging to be touched, she smiled as she saw goose bumps rise on her skin. Lifting her eyes to see Callie's facial response, she was met with a much more alert expression, wide eyed and smiling, "That's coincidental… I have Mechanisms of Vertebrae Development this morning and I'm in Webber's class today, too. I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together on Mondays and Wednesdays."

She opened her mouth in a jokingly frightened fashion, "Are you stalking me?"

The now wide-awake brunette snorted, "If anything, _you're_ stalking _me_. Come on, Arizona. Bones are my thing; obviously I'm going to take vertebrae development!"

Quirking her eyebrow, she stilled her hand, "Bones are your _thing_?" she teased, "Calliope, you haven't even applied to residency programs yet, and you know your specialty?"

"Sometimes you just know," her voice was low with conviction and Arizona was sure she wasn't just talking about specialties.

Dragging her fingertips down Callie's side, she asked, "How did you know?"

A tan hand reached down and picked up her wandering hand, then in one motion, held it over her head before rolling them, so Arizona found herself on her back. "I know, because they come easily to me." Strong, capable fingers came up and ran over her clavicle, "The clavicle is fascinating because there is literally no other bone like in in the human body, and it literally only takes seven pounds to break it."

She watched, her mouth already going dry just by the feeling of those fingers on her body as a dark head of hair ducked down, and a strong, capable tongue drew a wet line over the bone. Breath hitching in her throat, she reached her hands to touch that thick, dark hair that was still all mussed and sexy from sleep.

But before she could get a hold and pull that mouth to her own, Callie drew back, a smirk on her mouth, then ran her hands down, both landing on Arizona's slightly protruding hip bones, her palms cupping, thumbs tracing the skin stretched right over the bone, "And your innominate bones, particularly your iliac crest. I love to feel your hips thrusting against me," Callie whispered, leaning her head down to nip over the spots her hands just rested on.

Arizona could feel the moisture collect between her thighs and she bit her lip, "I never really thought bones were sexy." She knew all the names of them just as Callie did, but hearing them had never been so good.

A slight frown traced over those full lips as Callie looked up at her, "They are. Yours, especially."

Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked down her own body at the Latina, whose mouth was just inches away from where she desperately wanted it. They locked eyes, and Callie licked her lips, then her eyes trailed downward, looking over Arizona's mound. The blonde could feel the bed shift under them as Callie readjusted her position, sinking lower so that she was eye level with Arizona's sex.

Her arms wanted to give out, already shaking in anticipation, but she forced herself to stay steady and hold herself up, wanting to watch. Wanting to see that dark head of hair go to work between her legs. A moan tore from her throat as lips pressed against the trimmed hair right above her slit, feeling Callie's warm breath wash over her as she whispered, "And I love your pubis."

A broken laugh worked itself out of her throat as she brought one hand down to tangle in that dark hair, finally, "Calliope, stop talking about my pubis and –" she gasped as Callie's tongue circled her clit, once then twice, her core contracting already, pleasure coursing through her veins at the simple touch of the warm, wet mouth.

The hand she had tangled in soft hair tightened to a fist as two long fingers slid into her, a strangled moan entering the air, breathing out, "Yes, god, yes," as those fingers started a demanding pace inside of her, lips that had to have been made by clouds wrapped around her clit, tongue massaging in _just_ the right way.

Her arm couldn't hold her up anymore, and she collapsed onto her back, the sensations Callie was creating between her legs were so fucking incredible, she thought she was going to explode. And then as fingers curled to find just the – "There! Right there!" Her legs started shaking, and her other hand shot down to grip into the raven hair along with her other one, biting her lip hard, her hips working against Callie's face.

One more thrust in pushed her over the edge, Callie's fingers gently pumping not all the way in or out, but shallow thrusts in time with her clenching working her through the orgasm, her body still jerking as that talented tongue drew out aftershocks for longer than she would have thought humanly possible.

She didn't know how much longer it was before she came back to herself, but Callie was now stretched out next to her. Still feeling blissed out, she reached for the Latina to bring her mouth down to hers –

And then the alarm went off again, Callie practically jumping for it, the expression on her face vicious, "Arizona your fucking alarm is more irritating than any other sound on the face of this planet!"

Laughing, she managed to scoot up, swatting Callie's hands out of the way as she reached for the alarm, switching it off rather than hitting snooze. Then her eyes noticed the time and nearly bulged out of her head, "It's past six thirty! I have to meet with Dr. Webber before class, and I still have to shower! Crap."

Throwing the covers off of her, she scrambled around her drawers, grabbing towels to take with her into the shower, then turned to see that Callie was still sitting in the center of her bed, a pout present on her face, "My magic phalanx bones just made you come and you're going to leave me here like this?"

Staring at the naked goddess in her bed, making those bedroom eyes at her… swallowing hard, she made herself look past the Latina and at the clock, "Yes. I'll make it up to you later," she promised, never meaning another statement as much as she meant that. Slightly giving in, she walked over to plant a soft kiss on Callie's bottom lip, pulling it between her teeth and tasting herself on it… oh, god.

Forcing herself back, Callie's mouth was half open, and Arizona wanted nothing more than to jump right back in with her... shaking her head, she pulled back, "You have no one to blame for me having to leave early besides yourself."

Callie's mouth fell open, her expression incredulous, "And how is that?"

"Because you're my girlfriend _and_ you decided to take Dr. Webber's class. Now I have to go tell him that we're together, so he doesn't find out any other way," and she had to hope to god he let her keep being his TA. Which he should, because it wasn't against school policy for teaching assistants to date students in the classes they were assisting in – that was up to the professor's discretion. She hoped by being honest with him, that it would all be fine.

Those phalanges reached to take a hold of her hand, "Your girlfriend?" she asked, a huge smile lighting up her face.

Suddenly feeling a little foolish simply because of the way she was being looked at, she felt her face flush, "Well, I thought because we decided to be together… you know… and you said… and we just…"

"We're girlfriends. Absolutely. Definitely. I just, well, we never actually said the word before. I thought it was kind of assumed, but now you just said it and it makes me happy," came the soft admission from a very warm voice, hands tightening around hers and lightly brushed their mouths against one another, before drawing back, "My needs can wait until later, no problem. Because we're girlfriends and you need to tell Dr. Webber."

She nodded, "Right." Girlfriend. Calliope Torres was her girlfriend. The word had meant so many things to her, many of them unpleasant. But Callie had changed a lot of things so far that she'd thought of as unpleasant, and this word probably wouldn't be any different. "I just hope he takes it well." Because she really needed this job, both for the extra credits it provided her as well as the cash inflow.

Callie pulled the sheet up around herself and then rocked back on her heels, looking at the wall past Arizona's head, "Do you think he won't? Because I don't want to be a secret – I _won't_ be a secret. From our friends, our peers. But if telling Dr. Webber might jeopardize your job, then I don't want to… then maybe you don't have to tell him."

She would be lying if the thought of being able to shrink away from telling Webber didn't hold some appeal. It was her comfort zone to do something like that, but she wasn't going to hide out in her natural comfort zone anymore. That wasn't going to get her anywhere, and it wasn't going to help her fall in love with Callie. "As tempting as not telling him is… I have to. If we want to be together, we're going to do it with no secrets and no shame. I'm going to tell him this morning, and then I'll see you in Mechanisms of Vertebrae Development."

Her response seemed to make Callie glimmer, "Okay. I guess I should head back to my own apartment to shower and get ready. Unless we showered together… kill two birds with one stone."

Laughing at the hopeful look on the Latina's face, she shook her head, "Calliope, we both know if we get into that shower, there is no way I'm going to get out with enough time to talk to Dr. Webber before class."

Callie gave her a whole hearted laugh back, a dirty glint in her eyes, before Arizona went to take a shower. She ran through many different ways her meeting with Webber could go. He might be angry with her. He could fire her. It was a coveted job, especially for a doctor as well respected as he was, students were fighting tooth and nail for the position. She'd really only gotten it because of a glowing recommendation from the professor she TA'd for at Johns Hopkins.

But he couldn't be that _mad_, could he? No.

Getting out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and made her way back to the bedroom. Callie was gone, leaving her a little note on the dresser saying, _Good luck, sweetie. Let me know how it goes! I'll see you in class – Callie. _Right before she'd written the dash before her name, she'd started to write "love" but had thought twice and scribbled it out.

Lightly running her finger over the beginning of the word, she realized that it scared her slightly less than it had a few nights ago. She was happy Callie wasn't using it frequently, but at the same time, she thought the more times she heard it, the more time she had to ease into it, it might get easier to hear.

From her girlfriend. She had a girlfriend who loved her, she thought, getting dressed, mindful of picking from her dress clothes that she had set aside specifically for the days when she was working.

If someone had told her a year ago – six months ago – hell, even a little over a month ago, that she, Arizona Robbins, would have a girlfriend who could freely say the L-word and _would_ say it to her, and that hearing it didn't make her have a heart attack, she would have laughed right in that someone's face. Yet, here she was.

Brushing her hair, setting it in its natural curls, she breathed in deeply through her nose, then let it out through her mouth. One last look at Callie's note, and she packed her messenger bag with the books, notebooks, and supplies she would need for the day and took a deep breath. Here she went.

The walk to Webber's office felt quicker than any time she'd made it before, and when she reached it, her heart was racing. Webber was notorious for flip-flopping between choices for people who worked for him – she'd heard many stories in her singular semester here. She just hoped this wouldn't play any sort of role in that decision.

Lifting her hands, she knocked on his door, hearing the gravelly, "Come in," within seconds.

Opening the door, she sent him a bright smile, the brightest she could manage, before slipping in and shutting it behind her, "Good morning, sir."

He drew his eyebrows together, "Robbins? What are you doing here so early? Your first class with me doesn't start for a few hours."

Heart beating fast, she locked her fingers together, kicking her foot at the ground, "I know. It's just… there's something I need to talk to you about." He looked intrigued, and he made a gesture as if to say that the floor was hers to use, so she did, "I found out today that Calliope – Callie – Torres is in your Advanced Cell Biology class, the one I'm assisting you in," she added on, though she knew he already knew that.

Looking confused, he simply nodded, "Torres is a talented young mind. She requested a seat in the class as soon as it was offered; why shouldn't I let her in?"

Arizona quickly shook her head, "No! No, she's extremely talented. Intelligent hardly begins to describe it, and she's very passionate about all of the work I've seen her do last semester. It's just… see, we've started… Dr. Webber, Calliope is my girlfriend," she words came out of her in a rush, and her eyes snapped to the floor, then up at him to try to gauge what he might be thinking.

To say he looked surprised would be an understatement, she thought, his eyebrows drawing together low on his forehead, "You're seeing each other? Romantically?"

Blushing, thinking of last night – and this morning – she cleared her throat, "Um, yes, sir. Romantic-type girlfriends."

His eyes narrowed in her direction, "Were you doing this last semester?"

Her face was burning. She could feel the heat of it, because only when pigs flew would she tell Dr. Webber about her relationship with Callie from last semester. Her eyes involuntarily stared at the carpeted floor next to his desk. The area of the carpet where Callie had fucked her, hard, before her date with Natalie, all those months ago. She was a terrible liar, such a freaking horrible liar, "I – we weren't dating last semester, if that's what you're asking. Being girlfriends is a very recent development for us, and I thought you should know as soon as possible, so here I am. Telling you on the first day of the semester."

He leaned forward, holding his hand up to rub at the temples, "Robbins… this could really serve as a conflict of interest."

Oh, no. "I understand that, but with all due respect, I have never given Callie any special favors or treatment in the classroom. I never would, and she wouldn't ask me to."

After a few moments of silence, Dr. Webber shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "Well… okay."

Prepared to defend herself and Callie, she opened her mouth, then closed it again, "Did you just say "okay"? That's – that's it?"

He aimed her a questioning look, "Yes. Robbins, I've worked with you this last semester, and after getting to know you, I believe that you can maintain a professional demeanor inside the classroom. And I am trusting you to remain completely fair and objective when grading assignments."

She felt a little surprised, thinking of all of the TA horror stories that had gotten around last semester, but she really wasn't going to question this, "Yes, sir. I would never give out a grade someone didn't deserve. Thank you!"

He nodded, "You're both adults, and I expect you know how to act like them. I've never seen any reason from you to doubt that, so I don't understand why this would be an issue."

There was also an intense relief coursing through her veins that he had never seen the way she could sometimes get distracted by looking at Callie during class. Especially during times where she was supposed to be grading, and Callie had been sitting in her front row seat, leaned over her desk, working on her paper or assignments at just the right angle for the blonde to be able to see…

Gulping quickly, as if Webber could read her thoughts, she nodded, "We know how to behave like adults. I promise you that."

He nodded absently, then bent his head back down to his work, "All right, well if that's all you wanted to talk to me about today, then I better get back to designing this lab. I'll see you in class this afternoon."

Responding in kind, she left the office with a bounce in her step, then giggled a bit to herself – the first person she'd referred to Callie as her to had been _Dr. Webber_. It was odd. And yet, she thought it was fitting. It was in Dr. Webber's class where she had first learned the beautiful Latina's name. Where she'd experienced flashes of jealousy. Where she'd found herself insanely attracted to her intelligence as well as her obvious physical attractiveness.

Walking into the classroom in which she and Callie were on equal footing, both students, she spotted her immediately. Dark hair was still damp, and she was in a conversation with another girl who was on her left. Thankfully not Natalie, she thought, rolling her eyes at even herself.

Walking up to Callie's right, she put her bag on the desk, lifting an eyebrow at the Latina, "Is this seat taken?"

Callie grinned, wide and bright, "Yes, it is actually. By my girlfriend. You can sit there until she comes, but be warned: she's kind of jealous." Lowering her voice, she whispered into Arizona's ear, "She doesn't like so share."

Feeling herself shudder at the warm breath, she managed to keep a straight face, "Oh, no? What a shame. But she sounds like a lovely woman."

"You would be right about that," she responded, leaning in, "How did it go with Webber?"

Now, the smile crept on to her face, "It was good. I guess the stories about him are really exaggerated? He seemed super understanding."

Callie lifted her eyebrows, "Webber isn't really known for being understanding. First, he had this guy Burke as his TA, and when he screwed up, he got Derek. He and Derek just didn't really get along, so then he switched with Dr. Harris, and got Erica… you know, I really don't care about the reason. I'm glad Dr. Webber is okay with us. With this," she whispered, her hand tracing down Arizona's arm, until their palms rested against each other.

The blonde let out a small giggle. She was holding hands with her girlfriend under a desk while in class. It made her feel like she was ten years younger, in high school, and she enjoyed it. Her fingers squeezed the ones around them. She enjoyed it a lot.

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**Please let me know your thoughts! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter - whenever someone tells me they like my story I get this excited rush. So thanks for that, and thanks for reading!**


	20. Valentine's Day

God, she was dying. Callie buried her head farther into the pillow underneath, exhaling loudly through her mouth with a frustrated groan. This was not how her first Valentine's Day with Arizona was supposed to go. She was not supposed to be sick; she was supposed to be sexy.

She didn't have the strength to push herself up at the moment to look in the mirror that sat right behind her bureau, but she didn't have to see herself to know what she looked like. Death. The tip of her nose was red from blowing it so much, her skin was oddly pale, and her hair… not ideal.

Hearing a pounding knock on her door, she sunk down into her sheets, croaking out, "Go away."

The knock happened again, louder this time, as Cristina's voice cut into her room, "Your girlfriend is here!"

Her girlfriend. Sighing a little bit, she felt a smile on her face, because in the last two weeks, word had traveled that Arizona Robbins was officially her girlfriend. They held hands when they went out and kissed when they were leaving one another. They spent the night and when their friends invited them somewhere, they did that thing where they invited both of them. Feeling frustration, as much as she could muster, her smile was wiped off into a pout. Girlfriends didn't spend their first Valentine's Day looking disgusting for their hot blonde.

Pulling the blankets up over her head, she shouted as loud as she could, which was hardly more than a whisper, "Tell her to go away!"

Instead of going away, Callie heard her door open and footsteps come pounding in, "Calliope, "tell her to go away?" Are you kidding me? Why are you in bed?"

She held tight to the covers still over her, and she tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible despite how raw her throat felt, "I'm resting. Don't worry. I'll be up and ready to take you out tonight for our," her throat wouldn't cooperate and she had to cut herself off in a fit of coughing, before weakly finishing, "– date."

The blanket covering her was ripped away so that she could see big, beautiful, blue eyes looking down at her. The lines on her forehead that had been furrowed as she'd been upset flattened out, leaving the skin smooth, her entire face softening, "You're sick."

"You're…" she trailed off, her eyes leaving the made-up face and looking down the slim body, her heart beating faster and faster, taking in the off-the-shoulder red dress, that scooped up perky boobs that – Callie had had ample time to discover – fit perfectly in her palms. It stopped mid-thigh, her runners legs on an incredible display. Craning her head slightly, she could see how tightly the dress hugged that butt, "Beautiful."

A small smile played at Arizona's lips before she reached down to press her hand to Callie's forehead, "You're hot." That smile fell into a deep frown, and she slid the back of her hand down, pressing to Callie's cheek, "Like, really hot."

Sighing, she struggled to sit up, reaching up to take Arizona's hand away from her, "I wanted to be hot tonight in a different way. I'm not that sick; I can still take you out. I promised you a great Valentine's Day date!"

The hand that had been on her clinically stroked the thumb down, lightly over her cheek, "You're always that kind of hot," she promised, "But we're not going out tonight."

Protesting, she shook her head, "No! I have time to get ready before the reservations I made and we can go," another coughing fit attacked her, leaving her to fall back onto the pillows and she blindly reached for a tissue she had on the table next to her bed, then blew her nose – twice – before getting her breathing back under control.

Not being able to sit up anymore, she closed her eyes tightly, annoyed with herself. Arizona's hand come down again, stroking back her hair, "Hate to tell you, but I think we missed our reservation anyway, baby. I came over because you were supposed to be at my apartment a half hour ago and you weren't answering your phone."

That just made this ten times worse, she thought, and her eyes sought out the alarm clock, seeing that it was indeed just past seven. She always made sure to not break her word to the blonde, regardless of what it was about. Arizona's trust was a fragile thing, and she could spot that a mile away. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I guess I feel asleep and I didn't even realize… I should have told you earlier that I wasn't feeling well. I wasn't blowing you off or anything, I swear."

Her bed dipped as Arizona sat on the side, her hand still tunneled into Callie's hair, rubbing softly with her fingertips. "I know. I didn't think you were blowing me off; I was worried that something happened to you."

A warmth spread through her chest, because this wasn't hearing the magic words from her girlfriend, but it was something almost as good. Arizona hadn't assumed the worst of her – she trusted there was a reason. Relief poured over her and she sighed into her pillow, eyes closing because her eyelids just felt too heavy to hold open anymore, "Thank you," she breathed out.

The soft hand still touching her, the hand whose touch she felt like she _always_ craved, scratched at her scalp, the feeling sending shivers down her spine, as the other hand pulled her comforter higher, tucking it tightly against her as Arizona's voice whispered, "At first, my brain told me you just weren't coming. But that was me being stupid for literally two seconds; I didn't believe that, because I know you wouldn't. I know that."

Snuggling her face into the side of Arizona's waist, she felt herself starting to drift off, her foggy head growing lighter with sleep, "You trust me."

Fingers stilled briefly, before continuing to stroke her head, "I do."

Trust was like love, she thought, sighing. It was almost there.

She woke up almost two hours later, her head feeling clearer, and she nuzzled her head forward, expecting it to be into Arizona, but it was actually into thin air, and then she opened her eyes. Telling herself not to feel disappointed, she rolled onto her back. Why should Arizona have stayed here with her while she napped on a Friday night? She'd promised a date of a lifetime and delivered with a head cold, she grumbled at herself unintelligibly, reaching for a tissue.

When she did, she noticed the glass of water on the table next to her half-empty tissue box. And behind her half-empty box was a brand new one, unopened. Next to that was a litany of different medicines, as if there was one of everything from the drug store. Feeling her heart do that fluttery thing in her chest, the way it had only ever done with Arizona, she smiled.

"You're awake!" that bright voice came from her doorway.

"You're here," she responded, watching the blonde stride forward. She was dressed in a pair of Callie's favorite pajama shorts with one of her long sleeved shirts on.

As Arizona came to stand by her bed, she looked down at herself, "I needed to trade in my old set," she explained.

"Do you even wear your own anymore?" she teased as Arizona blushed slightly. Soon after they spent their first night together, Arizona had given her back the clothes she'd had with her for the weeks when she went home.

Then she took another pair of Callie's pants and shirts. Since then, they'd started a bit of a regimen, where every few days Arizona would return Callie's clothes freshly Arizona-washed and smelling like the blonde's flowery smell, and Callie would wear them, while Arizona took another set of Callie's to wear. Mark said it was weird, but she couldn't care less.

Closing her eyes briefly as slim fingers combed her hair back, Arizona retracted and started to pick up the various medications on the table, "I didn't know what you like to take, because, you know, some people like different things. I got you some DayQuil and NyQuil, Sudafed, Advil Cold and Sinus, and Tylenol Sore Throat…" she trailed off, knocking the boxed piled in her hands together, looking at Callie expectantly.

God, she loved her. Her voice ached to say the words again, but she kept them in, even though she knew that they wouldn't make Arizona run. She told her she would wait until she was ready to hear them, so she would wait. But she really, really loved her, "I'll take some Sudafed. And Advil Cold and Sinus."

Arizona set down the other boxes and held the two in her hands, mumbling, "I just want to make sure they're safe for you to take together."

"We've both taken pharmacology classes," she pointed out, pushing herself up to sit, feeling less weak than she had a bit earlier.

"I just want to be sure. I don't want to make my girlfriend overdose," she joked as soon as she was satisfied that it was okay. Arizona opened the boxes and got out the tablets, then put them in Callie's waiting hand. Sealing the boxes back, she placed them down and waited until Callie took them before setting the glass of water back on the table.

Having Arizona here was already making her feel better. When her body settled back into her spot on the corner of the mattress, Callie admitted, "I thought you left. When I woke up, I thought… I'm really glad you stayed. Even though I'm sorry that I'm sick on Valentine's Day."

The blonde guided her head so she was resting it on her shoulder, her warm skin feeling cool to the Latina's forehead, "I did leave, to go to the store. But where else would I be spending Valentine's Day if not with my girlfriend? Even when she's sick. No, _especially_ when she's sick."

She laughed, the sound coming out in a snort because of her congestion, "Yeah, I know how good I look right now. How could you resist?"

"Well luckily for you, I'm not with you because of your looks," she stated, her soft pink lips coming down to press against Callie's forehead, then briefly to her lips. Pulling back, she retraced her steps, planting another kiss on the raven haired woman's nose, then forehead again. "They do help," she admitted, her hands coming up to scratch again at Callie's head, knowing how much she liked it, "And for the record, I think you pull off being sick really beautifully."

"Sure I do," she rolled her eyes, but loved hearing Arizona say it and the conviction behind the words. "As pretty as you think I am now, I'll have you know I planned on blowing your mind tonight. I was going to wear that little black dress with the dip in the back, with those red heels, the ones with the open toe." She sighed, "It was going to be great. You were barely going to be able to keep your hands off me," she informed her girlfriend, loving the way she'd been planning the night to go for over a week and upset that it wasn't going to happen.

The hand in her hair drifted down, stroking the skin of her neck before going to her hand and entwining it with her own, "I already can't." Seeing Callie's face, the disappointment, she pressed her lips against her dark hair in comfort, "How about we make plans to go out next Friday instead?"

Callie pulled back, "I would, but Mark and Addison want to take me out for my birthday." However, as much fun as she had with her friends, she wanted a special night out with Arizona. They hadn't had enough time to go out since classes had started. They mostly spent time at one of their apartments, which was absolutely fine, but the blonde was her _girlfriend_ and she wanted to show her off. But she couldn't cancel on them; she already spent much more time with Arizona than them and she would feel too bad.

Arizona had the same line of thought and she looked down at her girlfriend, "Say not another word, you are going to go out with your friends on Friday and I'm taking you out on Saturday." Then her mouth fell open, "How could you not have told me your birthday was in a week?"

"You can't scold me right now; I'm your sick girlfriend and it's Valentine's Day," she reminded her with as big a smile as she could before her eyes started to water and she had a sneezing fit.

By the time it was over, Arizona was on her feet, handing her the whole box of tissues, "When was the last time you ate?"

Blowing her nose, she thought back, then shrugged, giving her a knowingly guilty look, "Ummm, I had something around… last night… when we had dinner."

The blonde's arms were crossed and she was giving her a glare that made her want to shake, "That's funny, I thought you were in med school. What about fluids? Besides the water I left in here, what have you had?" Callie picked at the comforter, avoiding eye contact, because all she really did that day was get up for class at ten, finish her lab at three – using her lunch break to take a quick nap – before coming back and falling back into bed. "Unbelievable!" Arizona cried and turned on her heel, marching out of the room.

She wanted to feel bad about it, but whenever Arizona got in this caring, protective mood, she loved it. Trying to make her feel better, she gamely called after her, "Sorry!" But her voice sounded hardly indistinguishable from that of a frog.

The blonde returned moments later, a bowl in one hand, a bottle of Gatorade in another. Setting them down on the table, she handed Callie a spoon and commanded, "Now, eat. And drink."

Taking the spoon, she looked to see chicken noodle soup that smelled – as much as her limited senses could smell – very good. And it looked good, but… "Did you, um, make this?"

Though she had her eyes glaring, her arms crossed, Arizona let out a small laugh, "No, it's bad enough that you're sick; I don't want to kill you. I bought it at Panera Bread. It's safe."

Even though she didn't particularly feel hungry, she also didn't feel nauseous, so she took a few spoonfuls as Arizona went to the other side of the bed, climbing in and crawling over to sit next to her. When she couldn't eat anymore, she reached for the Gatorade and drank nearly half the bottle in one sitting. Putting it back down, she reached for Arizona's hand and pulled her in closer, "Thanks for taking care of me."

Arizona pressed her face against her throat, lips giving her a soft kiss, "Don't thank me. You would do the same thing, and besides, I like playing doctor. It's kind of my thing," she joked.

Leaning back into her pillows, so she was half sitting up, she kept her arm tight around Arizona's waist, "This isn't how I ever played doctor when I was little."

Feeling Arizona laugh against her, a finger poked into her ribs, "We won't be doing any kind of that tonight." As she opened her mouth to protest, a yawn came out, making the body against hers laugh even harder, "Exactly. You're so tired you can barely keep your eyes open."

That might be the truth, but she was never too tired to not want to feel Arizona against her, for her to come against her. Which had been her planned ending to the night. Pouting, she settled back against the pillows, pulling in the blanket tighter and yawning again, "Fine, but only because I don't want to get you sick, too."

Arizona had the graciousness to not point out that she was already sitting in the sick bed, practically cuddling with her, and had kissed her. As she did just then, once more pressing her lips lightly against Callie's before pulling back, "That's not my main concern here."

Pushing herself up, she crawled over the Latina's body, who let out a little moan, feeling Arizona brush against her as she pushed herself to stand on the floor so she could pick up the bowl and the empty glass of water from earlier. "Tease," she accused, and Arizona just smiled in response, bringing the dishes into the kitchen.

When she came back into the room, Callie was laying in the same position, feeling like she needed another nap, but forcing herself to stay awake. Arizona took one look at her, "How about we turn off the lights and put on a movie?"

Reaching to take a sip of Gatorade, she closed her eyes and grinned, "Fine, but I don't have any Disney."

Arizona chose one from her collection, hesitating in front of the DVD player as Callie watched her fidget, "You're sick – that means tonight is about you. So we're going to put in one of your movies. A horror movie," she whispered, swallowing hard.

Callie's eyebrows drew together, "Arizona, you don't have to put in –"

But the deed was already done, and the blonde was closing the DVD tray. Walking over to the door, she closed it, then switched off the light, making her way back to the bed. Initially, she sat against the pillows, mirroring Callie on the other side of the bed. But as the start menu to Nightmare on Elm Street came on, she inched closer and closer to the Latina, not pressing start on the remote until their arms were completely pressed against each other's.

Feeling her eyes start to close, the same sensation she'd had earlier, being pulled into sleep by her sickness, she felt Arizona's hand on her wrist, pulling her arm around her, and she smiled, drifting off.

The next time she woke up, it was from a scream. Heart pounding in her ears, her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, frantically calling out, "Arizona?" before colliding the front of her body into the back of the woman in question's. It was only then that she realized the scream was coming from the movie.

Blinking a few times, taking in the surroundings, she realized that while she was sleeping, Arizona had shifted, moving so she was sitting right in between Callie's legs, and had pulled both of Callie's hands into hers, gripping tightly. Leaning against her back, she rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder to watch the last few seconds of the movie, and could feel the blonde's body quake against her.

Squeezing her hands in return, the credits started to roll and Arizona shifted, so they were facing each other. Those blue eyes were wide, fear stamped over her features, and she threw her arms around Callie in a move that was so fast and solid, she sent them tumbling back so Callie's back landed back on the pillows.

Bringing her hands up, she felt long legs clamp on either side of her hips, the arms that were wrapped around her holding tight, as she ran her hands up and down Arizona's back. She felt better now, slightly less congested, her throat wasn't as sore, and there was no longer a headache. Even if it was entirely due to the medicine, she didn't care.

Snaking her hands under her shirt, then drew them slowly over the soft skin of her back, Arizona relaxing more into the direct contact, "Sweetie, why didn't you just shut off the movie?"

Her girlfriend's response was muffled against her neck, "Because it was scary! And my favorite part of scary movies is when the bad guy dies in the end. But Freddy Krueger didn't die, Calliope. He didn't die. He won! He's still out there!"

Feeling a small grin tug at her lips, she wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist, massaging her fingers into her sides, "He's not real," she pointed out in a whisper. When the only response she got was a "hmmf" against her throat, she scratched her nails lightly up and down against the skin under her hands, and took a different route, "I won't let him get you. I promise."

With legitimately the world's cutest pout on her face, Arizona rolled onto her side, her hold on Callie allowing her to take the Latina with her so that they were both on their sides, facing each other. "Sorry I'm a wimp," she apologized quietly.

Pulling her hand from under the back of her shirt so she could bring it up to cup her chin, she leaned forward, stopping centimeters away, resting their heads on the same pillow, "You aren't a wimp. Freddy Krueger is some scary stuff."

"Yeah," Arizona breathed out, then brought her hand up to press the back of her hand against Callie's forehead, "You seem cooler. Do you feel better?"

She nodded, "Mhmm. Too bad it's too late to actually go out to give you a good first Valentine's Day."

The slim hand slid down her face in a light caress, her thumb rubbing back and forth against her bottom lip, "I like our Valentine's Day. If everything worked out according to plan, and we had a nice dinner like everyone else does, it wouldn't really fit in with us being Callie and Arizona, would it?"

Laughing, her mouth opened, and the thumb Arizona was still resting on her lips peeked in. She could make out those blue eyes, in the room illuminated by the credits rolling onscreen, rapidly darkening as her lips closed around the digit, her tongue moving around it in circles, first big ones, then smaller. Arizona's breath, coming faster and faster, panted onto her lips, and she could feel a rush of moisture gather between her legs.

She opened her mouth to release Arizona's thumb, then made to roll over on top of her. But agile hands reached up to her shoulders, stopping her, "No."

Frowning, she squeezed her legs tightly together, the movement dragging her underwear against her in a deliciously teasing way, and her voice sounded like a whine even to her own ears, "No?"

Arizona bit her lip, the look of it making Callie feel even more damp, "You're still sick. You shouldn't be doing any physical activity, baby, you know that."

Groaning in frustration, she meant to inhale sharply to sigh dramatically, but the action made her start to cough. When it was done, she peered up at Arizona, who was wearing a smirk, "I hate that you're right."

The smirk disappeared, "I hate it, too," she responded, bringing her head down, lips lower. They connected in a kiss, deeper than the other few, brief ones they'd exchanged earlier in the night. Arizona's tongue traced her upper lip, then slipped inside of her mouth to mingle with her own. Moaning, she stroked them together, bringing her hand to land inevitably down on that firm ass, squeezing.

All too soon, and much sooner than any normal kiss, she had to lean back. Breathing heavily, she kept her hand where it was, "It's really hard to properly make out when I can't breathe through my nose."

A blonde head was thrown back in laughter, before sobering and pressing their foreheads together, "Calliope, sometimes I just… I…" she trailed off, her fingers fumbling with the blanket, twisting. Callie swore her heart was going to beat out of her chest with anticipation, but Arizona finished with, "I, um, I bought you something to give to you tonight."

Releasing her breath, she asked, "Oh, yeah?" before rolling onto her back then sitting up as Arizona excitedly scrambled out of bed and went to open Callie's closet door, where she had her coat hanging.

She dug into the pocket, her tongue poking out in the most adorable way, until her hands closed around something and she pulled it out. Callie raised an eyebrow at the jewelry box, feeling excitement rise in her stomach, "I didn't know we were exchanging gifts."

The blonde's hand reached over to switch on the lamp on the bedside table, and she sat, folding her legs underneath her, "I, um, I didn't know whether or not we were, but when I was out the other day, I saw this and I thought it would look good on you. It just reminded me of you, I guess, so… and it's Valentine's Day and you're my girlfriend, and I wanted to give you something, aside from tissues and medicine," she joked, finally flashing that super magic smile after her nervous rant.

"And soup," Callie added, her hands reaching out to take the box from her girlfriends slightly shaking hands, flipping the lid open after taking a deep breath. Spotting the necklace with a thin, white gold chain, with a simple, elegant white gold heart pendant on it, she felt her face melt into a smile.

Then laughter bubbled out of her throat. Arizona's face, which had been in a small smile of her own watching Callie open the gift, fell. "I can take it back; I mean you don't have to keep it. It was a stupid idea," her words tumbled out, hurt written all over her features, as her hands reached out to take the box back.

Tan hands snapped the box closed, laughter evaporating as she hugged the case to her chest, "Take it back? Are you kidding? This is my gift! And I love it."

A frown appeared on those pretty pink lips, "Obviously you don't; you laughed right when you opened it. Callie, it's okay." Opening the top of her shirt to slide the box in, she stuck out her tongue, only for Arizona to lift her eyebrow, "You really think I won't reach in there to get it?" As if to prove her point, she reached forward, slipping her hand under Callie's shirt, up her stomach, pinching her nipple quickly, making Callie's breath hitch and hands loosen their grip, as her hands reached the jewelry box, drawing it down her stomach and pulling it out, triumphant.

Caramel hands reached for it, only to have it held away, and she fell back into a pout, "Arizona! That's the first gift you ever gave me, and I want it back."

Placing it behind her then leaning forward to cup both of her hands around Callie's face, she stroked the skin under her thumbs, "I'm not going to make you keep something that you don't like just to protect my feelings. I can do better with gifts; I'll get you something better."

Rolling her eyes, she reached up to pull the blonde's hands out of her hair and rest them in her lap, "I _love_ the necklace, please believe me. The only reason I was laughing was because I got you a gift, too."

Seeing Arizona's eyebrows draw down in confusion, she reached over to her bedside table and pulled out the drawer, fishing her hand around inside until she landed on the box. It was the exact same size as the one she'd just received, the same shade of black, and had a label from the same jeweler.

The upset expression painted on the blonde's face disappeared into a small smile as she reached out and took the box from Callie's hands, quickly flipping it open. Letting out a squeal that she found ridiculously adorable, that smile was on Arizona's face, brighter than any one she thought she'd ever seen.

Nimble fingers took out the necklace, gold compared to Callie's white gold, and she held it up, before turning those baby blues on her, "Calliope… I love it. And I love that we bought each other the same thing." She ran one of her fingers down the chain, then closed her palm around the heart, "Thank you."

Those blue eyes shined at her in this way that made her feel so incredibly _happy_ and she felt herself fall a little more in love with the blonde, if that was even possible, "You're welcome. Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading, I seriously love all of you. And to answer someone's question, Callie is 24, Arizona is 25.**


	21. The Worst Best Birthday Ever

There were four parts to Callie Torres' twenty-fifth birthday that led her to that specific moment in time, falling asleep with a smile on her face.

_Part I_

It was the loud ringing of her phone that jerked her out of sleep. She didn't have class today – lab was canceled – and she had fully intended on making the most of that happy coincidence and sleeping in. Maybe until noon, who was she to set a limit? Besides, she was allowed to be lazy today. It was her birthday.

Reaching her hand out, she grabbed the phone off the table next to her bed and slid her thumb across the screen to answer it, grunting, "Hello?"

A loud screeching in her ear woke her completely, and she jerked the phone away from her face, startled, as multiple voices sang, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dearrrrr Callieeeeee! Happy birthday to you! Wooooo!"

Wide awake now, she sat up smiling, "Now, that's a wakeup call."

"Auntie Callie! Mommy says you're real old now. She says you're even older than her and daddy and they're _old_. Are you?" Came her niece's excited voice chirping into the phone.

Laughing, she settled into the blankets around her, "Yes, I'm really old. You better be careful, one day you're going to be just as old as I am!"

Now that voice had a defiant edge, "Nuh-uh, I'm gonna be five at my next birthday. That's not old; I'm just gonna be a big girl. _You're_ a big, old girl."

In the background, she heard her sister say, "That's enough insulting Auntie Callie, honey, go finish packing your bag," before there was some shuffling and her sisters laughing voice was in her ear, "How does it feel being _old_? You're halfway to thirty, sis."

"Don't make it seem like I'm that much older than you are; you'll be twenty-five in fourteen months," she shot back, running a hand through her hair, noting that it was only just before eleven.

A heavy sigh came through the receiver, "Don't remind me. I'm getting up there in years; already twenty-four."

She snorted, "Yeah, twenty-four and happily married with two beautiful kids."

Now Aria's sigh was dreamy, "Very true, very true. Well look at you, twenty-five and brilliant, over halfway through school to become a surgeon. With a hot girlfriend," she added on, her voice mischievous.

"A hot girlfriend who I don't get to see today," Callie grumbled. She really shouldn't complain – Arizona had stayed over all weekend after spending the night last Friday, and they'd stayed in her bed pretty much through Sunday night, when she was feeling all better and they'd had incredibly mind-numbing sex. Then she'd stayed over Arizona's apartment Tuesday night. But her hot blonde girlfriend had to leave on Wednesday to go to a conference with Dr. Webber, scheduled to end Saturday morning.

She heard little feet scrambling around from her sister's phone as Aria spoke muffled words she couldn't hear before responding, "Well, that part sucks. But you're going to have an awesome celebration out tonight with Mark and Addison, right?"

"Right, I know," Her sister _was_ right; she had two amazing friends who were going to take her out for a play she'd wanted to see for over two months and then for free drinks, so she really shouldn't complain. Especially when Arizona had promised her a great Saturday night date as a prelude to their two week spring break.

"Okay, I have to go bring Dani to her afternoon pre-kindergarten now. She wanted to call earlier, but I knew you were sleeping," Aria explained, then handed off the phone, as there was now a four-year-old voice in her ear.

"Happy birthday Auntie Callie! I love you!"

That voice could always put a smile on her face, "I love you, too, Dani! Have fun at school!" And as unceremoniously as only a child can do, the phone line went dead in her ear.

It was a good thing they'd woken her up, she thought, glancing at the clock, because if memory served, Arizona's next session wouldn't start until eleven, and that left her a good eight minutes to get in a morning phone call. Quickly pulling up her contact, she couldn't stop a smile spread over her face seeing the photo stored in the contacts, one she'd taken when the blonde had been brushing her teeth in Callie's bathroom, in Callie's pajamas, hair thrown haphazardly in a bun after just waking up, from earlier this week. Arizona didn't understand why she wanted _that_ picture stored in her phone, but Callie loved it. It just said that Arizona was _hers_.

Her girlfriend's bubbly voice picked up after only one ring, "Happy birthday, beautiful!"

And she'd thought hearing Dani's voice made her smile… hearing Arizona's was like seeing the Miami sun come out on a cold, rainy Boston day, "Thank you! Good morning."

"I'm surprised you're up this early; I thought for sure you'd be sleeping until the afternoon, especially after we were up so late last night," the blonde teased.

Laughing she closed her eyes. Last night they'd been up until almost four in the morning on the phone. Arizona had called her at exactly midnight as to be the first person to wish her a happy birthday, and they just wound up talking until later than either of them had expected, "I just thought I should get up in solidarity for you, you know, having to get up at seven."

As if on cue, Arizona yawned, "I thought a show of solidarity would be you getting up at seven? You still got almost four more hours than I did!"

Still chuckling, she was about to settle back down into her blankets and cuddle into them for a few minutes with Arizona's voice when there was a knock on her door. Knowing Cristina was in class, she groaned.

The blonde heard the sound, "What's wrong?"

"I have to get out of bed," she answered, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder and pushing herself up, grimacing at the cold floor touching her bare feet before she pulled on her robe to keep her tank top and shorts covered body warmer and covered, "Someone's at the door."

Arizona's voice held a knowing tone, "Ah, I see… you better answer it, then."

Feeling excited, she felt a little jaunt to her walk, "Arizona, if you are at my door right now, I think that would be the best birthday surprise –"

Simultaneously, she opened the door to see a man standing there just as her girlfriend's voice in her ear said, "I'm sorry to inform you, Calliope, but it's not me at your door. It could, however, be the Edible Arrangement chocolate covered strawberries I sent you."

"Arizona! You're the best," she said, grinning from ear to ear at the fact that her girlfriend remembered her favorite treat to have on her birthday, then slid the phone from her ear for a moment to answer the boy's questioning look.

"Are you Cal-Calliope Torres?" he asked, fumbling over her name a bit.

"I am," she answered inquisitively, anxiously signing her signature on the form her handed her, expecting a box from Edible Arrangements, but when he leaned over to retrieve her delivery, she was met with a bouquet of flowers that automatically brought a lump to rise in her throat.

"Have a good day!" The young man smiled at her and walked away after handing the floral arrangement to her.

Feeling numb, she looked down at the flowers with one arm in the same motion as if she was holding a baby, unable to move for a few seconds until she heard Arizona's voice, somewhat alarmed, from her phone, "Calliope? Are you still there? What's going on?"

As if her arm felt foreign, she raised the phone to her ear, her voice hardly more than a whisper as she tried to blink back her tears, "Um, it's… I didn't get your Edible Arrangements. I got flowers."

Confusion was palpable in her response, "Flowers? Who – I didn't send you flowers."

Taking a few steps to her right, she brought her arm up to place the bouquet on the counter, then lifted her hand to stroke over a petal, "I know." She had to clear her throat a few times, before she was able to say, "They're from my dad."

She knew it even before a shaking hand lifted the small, elegantly written card from inside the arrangement. Her room at home had always been kept with a fresh vase of red canna flowers, because her dad knew that they were her favorites. And when she'd moved up here to go to school, he always sent a bouquet of them to her on her birthday. She told herself not to get her hopes up about these flowers, but she _couldn't_ stop that hopeful feeling from rising in her stomach.

Her hands tore open the card and flipped it open, reading the gold inscription on the cardstock,

_My lovely Calliope, you've made it through another year and I can't believe how amazing you are and how lucky I am to have you as my daughter. Happy birthday, sweetheart – Daddy_

Flipping the card over, that balloon of hope and excitement and happiness that was rising in her chest just popped, turning the card over and seeing the tiny time stamp at the bottom. He'd ordered these the day after her birthday, last year. The thoughts of possible reconciliation, of planning what she would say to him, were dashed in the blink of an eye and this time she couldn't properly blink back her tears.

She forgot she was still on the phone until Arizona's voice sounded in her ear, "Calliope? What's going on? You said they're from your father? Does this mean –"

Unable to control the hitch her breath took, she lifted her hand to wipe furiously over her eyes, collecting tears, dampening her hand, then knocked that same hand back down to slide the flowers into the trash, slamming the lid down, but keeping the card, crumpled, in her hand, unable to let it drop, "They're from last year. He pre-ordered them. I guess he forgot to cancel."

Feeling more tears burn the back of her eyes, she leaned on the counter for support and wished she had Arizona there, with her, instead of just on the phone. "I'm so sorry. Do you –"

Callie cut her off, because if she heard even one more word, she was just going to dissolve. And she didn't want to dissolve; she wanted her birthday to be a good day. She _didn't want_ those stupid flowers, or that stupid note, or to hear her not stupid girlfriend's sympathetic voice, "I'm fine. But I have to, um, to go. I think Addison wants to take me out to lunch, so I should probably…" Tears clogged her throat, making it hard to breathe, "Probably get ready." Taking a few seconds to try to calm down, she took a few deep breaths and looked at the clock, "And it's a minute past eleven – you have to get to your next session."

"I can be late," Arizona's response was immediate and strong, but she couldn't… she just couldn't.

Shaking her head regardless of the fact that the blonde couldn't see her action, she lifted her hands to wipe away the stupid tears that wouldn't stop coming despite her mind telling them repeatedly that she didn't want them here, "No, no, you should go and be amazing. I'll, um, just see you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone before Arizona could get in another word and braced herself on the counter. This certainly wasn't how she'd thought her birthday would start off.

_Part II_

The dial tone buzzing low in her ear hurt marginally less than her girlfriend's broken voice had. Sighing, she walked through the doors she'd sat outside of to take Callie's call, walking to the long table that was lined with pastries and coffee, and poured herself a large cup.

She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be _there_. Even more now than she did last night. Having been raised on military bases, tears weren't openly shed by many people – she herself rarely cried due to emotional upset. Her issue with authority figures, different story. Regardless, tears had somewhat made her feel uncomfortable when other people cried around her. But back to the first time when Callie had cried on her – on Thanksgiving, which felt like _years_ before now rather than a little over three months – she hadn't felt uncomfortable. Those tears that ripped apart the gorgeous Latina made her want to hold her until they went away.

The last time she'd seen those big, beautiful brown eyes fill up had been before they were actually in a relationship, that night in Callie's kitchen. The night before she realized that they were basically already in a committed relationship. She could still feel how that body had trembled against her, crying. Because of her parents. She'd been unable to resist taking her into her arms then, too.

And now, hearing her over the phone, and knowing that she was crying by herself just made Arizona _need_ to be there. She didn't want Callie to hurt, and she really didn't want her to hurt all alone.

But she was at this conference that Dr. Webber had told her about last minute, Monday afternoon. It was for medical school Teaching Assistants from all over the country. And yes, it had been a great tool for making connections and the seminars she'd been attending weren't boring by any means. It really was a good opportunity, and she was more than happy that Dr. Webber had suggested it to her, thinking it would be good for her impending future.

Only now, she was here in New York, a four hour drive away from Boston, for her girlfriend's birthday. It had been okay knowing that they were going to be together for all of tomorrow, but now…

With a heavy sigh, she shook up four sugar packets to dump them into her cup. Normally, she drank it black, but on days like today, she needed to combination of the caffeine and sugar to keep her going.

"You had a late night, then?" A voice asked behind her, making her freeze.

Spinning on her heels, she stared, agape, at Joanne, "What?"

The redhead smirked and gestured at the cup of coffee, "You're loading that thing with sugar. I know you well enough to know you only do that when you're really tired."

Rolling her eyes, because the idea that Joanne knew her "well" at all, even after all their time together was just… "What are you even doing here?"

"It's a conference for TA's in med school… I actually took your position for Dr. Thiemann when you left," she explained, green eyes running down her body, then back up to her face in a way that once made her feel wanted but now just disgusted her, "You look surprised to see me."

"I am," she replied, tersely, taking a sip of her hot coffee. Joanne used to tease her for being a TA, saying it was the job of a brown-noser. But of course, as soon as Arizona had left, she jumped in to get her chance at taking the job. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at the face she'd spent years memorizing, "But you don't seem to look surprised to see me."

That slow smile spread like southern honey over her face, "I'm not. I saw your name on the index yesterday morning. I thought it was only a matter of time before we had a session together."

And of course she knew Arizona would be here, "Right. Well, I'm going to go find a –"

Interrupted by a booming voice from the front of the room, both girls turned to look at the lecturer, "Ladies, seeing as how we called for people to be in their seats a minute ago, I'm sure both of you wouldn't mind pairing up to volunteer for my demonstration?"

As everyone turned to face them, she felt her face flame bright red. Standing here, with her fucking ex-girlfriend while her awesome girlfriend was at home in a different state most likely crying her eyes out was _so_ not how she'd expected today to go.

_Part III_

Callie's day did get better, thank god, by almost eight at night. Addison took her to their favorite bistro in the North End they'd discovered sophomore year of undergrad, then they joined up with Mark to go to the Boston Opera house to see a play Aria had sent her tickets to for today. It wasn't like that had been her first sting of rejection from her parents.

Swirling the brightly pastel colored fruity drink Addison insisted she drink because it was a birthday special, she stared into its brightly colored depths. Both of her friends were working hard to turn today around for her, and she truly loved both of them for it, but something was off.

The red cannas that were still sitting in her kitchen trash can were in the back of her mind. Her dad had the sharpest mind of anyone she knew; how could he have forgotten he pre-ordered them for her? Wouldn't he have noticed the charge go through on his credit card last month? She'd never had a birthday, in her now twenty-five years, where her parents hadn't been the first people to call her. Hell, her first year away from home, her mother had sent her a singing telegram. And look where they were now.

Even looking past the flower incident this morning, she thought the biggest problem was the lack of Arizona. Mark and Addison _did_ brighten her spirits, both in their own ways, joking around, treating her to lunch, dinner, drinks. Both of them putting away their sniping for today, both of them dancing with her, making sure the juke box was playing her favorite songs. She insisted she needed a break from dancing – her moves were lackluster tonight, anyway – and was sitting at the bar for now.

Arizona just had this way of making her feel better, of making her feel just… _good_. She needed that. She needed her girlfriend. Frowning as she took out her phone for what felt like the billionth time, she put it down heavily on the bar next to her. After their phone call, Arizona's phone had been off for a few hours, as it was required to be during these lectures she was attending. But it was practically eight o'clock now, and all of the responses she'd gotten since Arizona's last seminar at three had been very pithy. Abrupt, almost.

She felt herself pout a little bit – she just wanted to be with her girlfriend on her birthday, and since that wasn't possible, she wanted to at least _talk_ to her. Was that too much to ask? Looking down at the blank screen on her phone, she sighed, she guessed it was.

"Cheer up, pretty lady. I hear it's your birthday," an all too familiar voice said, low in her ear.

Feeling her heart race, she spun around to see Arizona smiling back up at her. And just like that, it felt like her problems melted away. That super magic smile beaming right up at her, and one of the very few genuine smiles she'd granted all night appeared on her face, "What are you doing here? I thought your last conference brunch thing wasn't until tomorrow morning."

The smile dimmed just a bit, "It is. But I left early and drove back, which is why I haven't really been texting you for a few hours. I needed to see you, in person, because… I really need to tell you something."

Curious, she lifted a brow, "What about? Don't get me wrong, I think you showing up here, right now, is literally the best thing that happened to me all day, but what was so important you – Arizona Robbins who never missed a class – skipped out on this conference early?"

That smile dimmed even more, turning into an anxious look, "We should…" she looked around the semi-crowded bar, then looked out the door, "Can we leave and maybe talk about this at your apartment?"

Looking over at Addison and Mark who were both still dancing, she nodded, "Sure."

Arizona's hand reached out and gripped hers, practically dragging them across the street, not talking. And as the silence continued to reach them until they got to her apartment door, Arizona's anxious look started to make her feel anxious. What in the world could her girlfriend have to tell her?

Coming to a halt outside of her door, she looked down at Arizona's large suitcase on wheels that was parked next to the door, and the blonde rushed to explain, "Oh, well, I didn't really know where you were, but I figured drinks at Joe's would be a safe place to start. And I didn't want to be wheeling this behind me the whole time, so I just dropped it off here, first."

"Um. Okay," she responded, nerves starting to tangle in her stomach at the way Arizona was now clasping her hands together and biting on her bottom lip. Whatever was so important that she'd left her conference early and then didn't take the time to stop at her apartment first… with a deep breath, she unlocked the door and led them both in, through the kitchen, into her bedroom.

Arizona closed the door behind them then took a deep breath, "Okay. Um. I bought you a plane ticket, for your birthday."

That… hadn't been what she'd expected, but it did make her feel a little bit better, because she thought maybe the blonde's nerves were those same ones she got when talking about commitment and maybe she was second guessing herself. _That_ was something she could deal with. Familiar Arizona territory. Smiling a bit, she took a step closer to her girlfriend, "Arizona… I don't understand what's so bad about that. Unless it's a one way ticket to Timbuktu and you're trying to tell me something here," she joked, trying to get the blonde to lighten up and tell her what the big problem was.

A small laugh edged out of pink lips, "Ha, no. It's a two-way ticket, to go with mine. To visit my parents for spring break. We would leave Sunday night. It was presumptuous, I know that, but I just… I want you to meet them. My mom already loves you and she asks me when I'm bringing you home every time we talk, so I thought… maybe…"

Putting an end to her ramble, Callie laughed. If this was Arizona's big problem, then there was still a chance that this could be a pretty good birthday. Closing the distance between them, she took the tense, slim hands in her own and lowered her mouth to gently skim over Arizona's, whispering, "I would _love_ to go to your parents with you. Addison had been toying with the idea of Cancun, but I'd much rather go to Virginia with you."

Wide, blue eyes stared at her as soft thumbs stroked over her hands, and she could _feel_ Arizona's pulse racing. Then, words that she didn't predict coming out of Arizona's mouth spilled out, "Joanne was at the conference. And she made a move on me."

Callie stared at the tearful, nervous looking blonde, as her heart felt like it was going to stop beating. Just drop right out of her chest to the floor. This was it. Hands down, the worst birthday of her entire life.

_Part IV_

The warm, caramel hands that had taken hers into that paradoxically strong and soft hold dropped and she watched as tears filled those deep brown eyes. Before Callie, she didn't really think twice about brown eyes – they were _brown_, what else was there to say? But her girlfriend's said a thousand words with one glance. Before she could say anything more, Callie was already yelling a mile a minute.

"She – she made a move on you? What like, kissed you? Did you… what… how… did you like it? Is that what you had to drive back to tell me? Oh my god, that's what you came back to tell me about. You want to be back with Joanne," Callie's voice was raised so high now, almost in hysterics.

She stood, as if glued in place, watching as Callie's eyes seemed to turn to fire and simultaneously brimmed with tears. Her heart was beating so fiercely in her chest, she thought she might pass out, and the feeling only intensified when Callie stopped all movement and stared her right in the eyes, "Arizona, just – just answer me because I need to know. _Do you want to be with Joanne_?"

Arizona _wanted_ to answer her, wanted to speak, she wanted to scream the way she felt at the Latina who was now storming around the room, grabbing Arizona's suitcase and yanking it toward the door, but the words were stuck and they wouldn't come out no matter how much she tried. It wasn't until the sound of the door actually opening snapped her back into reality and she leapt forward, grabbing Callie's wrist in a tight grip as the words finally ripped from her throat, "Don't make me go. I don't want to be with Joanne."

Callie tore her wrist from the grasp, closing her eyes against Arizona's probing blue ones, and she swallowed hard. Arizona could see her swallow back tears, and her voice was nearly broken when she opened her mouth again, "I can't take this tonight, don't you see that? I can't… I can't… I need you to go."

Seeing a heeled foot take one more step toward the door , taking the suitcase with her, Arizona jumped forward and slammed the door shut again, her heart now pounding against her ribs so loud she could hear it in her ears, "Well, you can't make me go! Joanne made a move on me, that's all I said. She tried to kiss me, and I pushed her away. I pushed Joanne away for the first time in my life, Calliope, because I love you! Can't you see that? You made me fall in love with you; I had all of my rules about sleepovers and bringing women back to my place and the three-times-or-less rule because I've had my heart _shattered_ and now you made me fall in love with you. And it's more, it's bigger, than I ever felt for Joanne or ever wanted to feel or thought I could feel for anyone. I didn't even know it was possible to love another person this much, but now I do and –" she cut herself off, feeling tears burn the back of her eyes as she took a heaving breath and managed to calm herself down, "But now that I do, and you can't make me leave."

Callie's heart had stopped beating again. In a good way, in _the best_ way she'd ever thought imaginable. It was in her throat listening to the most amazing words ever being spoken to her, and she held herself back – she thought patiently – until those blue eyes, deeper than the ocean, she was positive, looked up at her. They were glistening in tears now, and they were… Arizona was… "I love you. I love you so much, and you love me."

Arizona nodded now, words seeming impossible for her again, but that was absolutely fine with Callie. Kicking her bedroom door closed again, dropping the handle of the suitcase, letting it fall to the floor, she was in front of the blonde in two strides, wrapping her arms around her slim waist and pulling her tight against her body. She could feel Arizona's heart beat against her own chest and she closed her eyes, breathing in her smell, lowering her mouth to the blonde's ear, "I know you're still scared. And I know that took a lot for you to say. But I love you so much, and Joanne didn't love you right, baby, but I will. I do."

Arizona nodded against Callie's shoulder, the feel of the Latina's breath on her ear making her shiver, and she whispered back, "You already do." She leaned back just enough to tip her head back and get up on her tiptoes, bringing their mouths together, feeling those plump lips against her own, continuing, "Calliope, I'm in this now. I love you, and I love _hard_. You can't get rid of me now."

"I don't want to," was all that could be breathed out before those lips attached themselves to her own, a warm tongue seeking entrance in Arizona's mouth.

She sucked on it frantically, pulling it deeper into her mouth, groaning at the taste of Callie. Her hands came up, pulling off Callie's jacket, then dropping it to the ground, wasting no time in dropping her hands to the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head, needing to feel the soft skin underneath.

The front clasp bra. God damn, she loved that front clasp bra, she thought, her clit throbbing in response, the need to _have_ Callie consuming her. The bra joined the other clothes on the ground, her hands immediately zipping up to cup those deliciously heavy mounds. Her thumbs swiped back and forth over rock-hard nipples, the Latina's mouth falling back in a moan.

Taking advantage of the new position, she dipped her head, attacking that neck with her teeth. The skin in her mouth was so fucking warm and smooth, and she loved feeling Callie's pulse jackhammer under her tongue.

The Latina's hands pulled and tugged at her top, and she pulled back, giving them just enough space between them for her clothes to join Callie's. Dark eyes stared at her revealed breasts, hands reaching up, tweaking her nipples. A grunt made its way from her lips, and she arched her back so those hands touched her more firmly, her own reaching down to unbuckle Callie's hands.

Callie kicked them the rest of the way down, then reached for the blonde's, yanking her jeans off, down slim legs, her hand coming up to cup Arizona. Digging her hands into strong, caramel shoulders, she swore, "Fuck, Calliope, I – I…" Unable to get the words she needed to say out with those hands touching her, she forced herself to step back.

Callie gave her a confused look, "What…"

Biting her bottom lip, feeling uncharacteristically shy, she looked in the direction of her suitcase, "I got you the plane ticket… but I also got you – us – something… else. For your birthday."

Perfectly shaped eyebrows drew down, and Arizona had to work so hard to keep her eyes on Callie's face instead of those heavy, glorious breasts, "Arizona, what are you talking about?"

"I, well, there was this shop a few blocks from the hotel where the conference was, and I went in, and…" it was just easier to show her, she decided, and bent down, freezing, pleasure ripping through her as she felt Callie's hands land on her butt, kneading the muscles there. With shaking hands, she drew out the gift she'd gotten, holding onto it by the harness, and turning, presenting it to the Latina, whose mouth dropped open. "I… you said before you wanted to try it. And I thought we could. And tonight, right now, I want to be _in_ you."

"Yes!" Callie's bright brown eyes snapped to hers, the desire in them so blatant, Arizona felt her wetness increase just from staring into them. Hurried tan hands reached out to grip the medium sized blue dildo attached to it, and seeing her hand there made something inside of Arizona snap, pushing Callie backwards by her shoulders so she fell onto her bed.

Arizona had the straps around her waist by the time Callie had pushed her hair out of her face, her heart pounding as she climbed over the Latina. Reaching down to test the Latina's wetness, she was shocked as her fingers slid right between her lips, "You – how are you so ready already?"

Callie's teeth clenched, her hands rising to cup Arizona's cheeks, "You. You are so fucking sexy Arizona, and I want you, all the time. And especially right now."

Taking the toy in her hand, she reached down, brushing the tip lightly through Callie's folds, gathering moisture on it. She drew away her fingers that had been playing in the liquid heat moments before, and slid them over the shaft. Keeping just the tip at her entrance, she bent down, nibbling lightly on Callie's lips, feeling those hips writhe under her, "Are you ready? Now? Or do you –"

The hands that had been tenderly stroking the hair from her face slid down, over her back, to grip her butt hard, pulling them tighter together, the toy slipping inside, "Now, Arizona, I want you now."

Rocking her hips, she thrust the first couple of inches in, reveling in the way Callie arched her back and drew her legs up so they were bent at the knee. Encouraged by those hands digging in firmer, she rocked again, going farther, this time knowing Callie's walls were clenching the toy, feeling the friction on her clit. Dropping her forehead to a tan shoulder, she struggled to get her breathing under control.

But Callie didn't have that kind of patience, and she rolled her hips up, taking in the entire length, making both of them moan in tandem, holding in place for just a second, before Arizona pulled out slowly, then worked back, in, closing her eyes at the feeling of the way the harness rubbed her clit every time she pushed in.

That slow, savory pace didn't last for long, minutes later sweat beaded on her forehead, their rhythm now frantic, both of them searching for that release. Every time she thrust in, she paused for just a second, grinding down against the harness, her clit throbbing against it, driven on by the sheer animalistic sounds dropping from luscious lips. Smooth, tan legs wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her hard against the curvy, sweaty body below her.

She was so close, she thought, as her hips rubbed in fast circles, feeling her center already beginning to clench. Panting, she asked, "What – god, Calliope, you're – uhhhh – what do you need?"

Those big, soulful dark eyes flipped open, and the sight of them nearly sent her over. Gritting her teeth she held on, wanting to keep herself from coming before Callie. She wanted to come – oh, fuck – together, and the Latina's amazing hips worked against hers. She groaned, her hands digging into Arizona's ass, "Say it. Say –" her eyes rolled back for just a moment before she came back to blue eyes, her back arching, "I'm cl-close, but I w-want you to say – you love –" she broke off on a moan, her eyes rolling back again as Arizona thrust deep, against a particularly sensitive spot.

Recognizing that, and that moan setting her on the edge again, she slowed their hips down. Before Callie was able to say a thing, she pulled her hips back, the dildo almost leaving Callie completely, before thrusting in, finding that spot again. As Callie groaned, she rocked forward against that spot, "I –" she rocked again, this time her own eyes rolling back as their nipples rubbed against each other, "Love –" she rocked once more, as deep and hard as she could, gasping out, "You," as her she was thrown head first into her orgasm.

Her body collapsed on top of Callie's, tan hips jerking wildly, strongly against hers, her entire body trembling, the most incredible feeling stealing all of her breath, all of her strength. Eventually, those long legs lazily slid off of her, falling onto the bed, long fingers tracing patterns over her back.

As soon as she was able to, she propped herself up on her elbows, still breathing hard, and reached down. Moving her hips back, she pulled the strap-on out of Callie, who groaned gravelly at the empty feeling. When the straps were off of her, she all but fell back down onto the bed, instinctively turning her head into Callie's shoulder, as the Latina wrapped her arm around her waist.

They laid there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Arizona bringing her hand up to rest right over Callie's heart, feeling it beat under her palm. She _loved_ this woman. She was in love, and she'd said the words, and it felt good. Lying here together wasn't just their usual after sex, pre-sleep cuddling. It was better. It was love.

Callie ran her hand down the blonde's smooth back, then gently scraped her nails up, "Arizona?" she asked, her voice low.

Her girlfriend's breath was starting to even out, and she sleepily hummed back, "Hmm?"

"I love you," she said, and even though she'd said the words several times in the last hour, she couldn't get enough of them. She'd wanted to repeated them to Arizona for over a month, and now she could.

She felt those perfect, pink lips smile against her shoulder, her tired voice saying the words Callie had only heard a few times, but she knew for a fact she wanted to hear them again and again, forever, "I love you too, Calliope. Happy birthday."

Arizona was _in this_, she'd said. She loved hard and she held on and she meant it. So, the way she saw it, regardless of whatever other crap was going to happen, it didn't matter. Maybe, now, she didn't have her parents. But she had two awesome best friends – who were probably wondering where the hell she disappeared to – and a sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew who were there for her. And she had her girlfriend, who loved her, who wanted her to meet _her _parents. Who was in this, in them, for the long haul. And knowing that, having that security wrapped around her the way Arizona's arm was around her waist as she drifted off into sleep, was enough to put a smile on her face.

* * *

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Kind of like when I was going to have them get together, I didn't plan on Arizona saying I love you at this point, either, but I just felt like it had to happen because I knew she felt it then. Thank you so much for reading!**


	22. Meet the Robbins

"So… this is it!" Arizona exclaimed, as the taxi that they were riding in pulled up to a tidy two story house, painted white with powder blue shutters. Their flight had left Boston at eight at night, and they'd landed at the closest airport to Arizona's parents' house just after nine, and now, it was nearing ten. All in all, it had been a fairly exhausting day, but she was excited.

The ride from the airport had been extremely entertaining and enlightening to her, as her girlfriend had eagerly pointed out every single landmark that had any sort of significance to her in the decade she'd lived in the area.

While the blonde leaned forward to pay the driver, she opened her door to get a better look at her girlfriend's parent's house. It looked like something she would imagine from a movie – the neighborhood houses were all middle class suburbia, and looked almost identical to one another. They were all two stories, with the same shape, and porches attached to the front. The lawns were natural grass, with every house having a short driveway leading into a garage to the left of their house.

Getting out, then holding a hand out to help Arizona up, "Milady," she joked, tugging her girlfriend into a standing position outside of the cab. While they waited a few moments for the diver to pop the trunk, which had apparently gotten jammed, she walked forward and bent down to lightly run her fingers over the lawn.

Real grass, she thought again with a chuckle, as Arizona's amused voice asked, "Calliope, why are you feeling up my front yard?"

Pulling out a blade that was freshly grown in, as the southern state was already regaining its spring season – unlike Massachusetts. Grinning, she held it out, "Because you have an actual grass lawn!"

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her as if she had sprouted an extra head, "Yes… most yards are made of grass," she teased.

Callie stuck her tongue out, "Well, in the neighborhood I grew up in and where all my friends lived, everyone had fake, manufactured grass. And it was all weird, candy apple green, unnatural… anyway, the only friend's house after I left Miami for school that I ever visited was Addison. And her neighborhood had the same fake, manufactured grass." She tried to explain why she was enthralled with this minor, admittedly strange, aspect of her girlfriend's parent's house, but based on the look Arizona was still giving her, she was failing miserably.

Finally, the cab driver managed to open the trunk, and those blue eyes transferred from her to their luggage, "You're just lucky I love you despite you being crazy."

The small piece of nature fell from her fingertips as that word shot through her. Arizona had first said it to her two nights ago, and had been casually dropping it in conversation ever since. And every time, Callie felt it right down to her bones, "I'm not being crazy," she insisted, stepping next to her girlfriend to help her lift their suitcases and duffel bags out of the trunk, "I like that your house is real."

Huffing out a breath as she managed to lift one of Callie's heavier suitcases to the ground, she blushed a bit, "We're not, um… we don't have that… my house might not be what you're used to."

Due to Arizona never talking about Callie's parents after finding out how little contact she had with them, the Torres household – minus Aria – was only ever brought up when Callie mentioned them. Which was to say, not much. Callie had only ever briefly mentioned her childhood home, to say that she and Aria used to use walkie-talkies to communicate because of the distance of their bedrooms from one another. Reaching down, she took the pale, soft hand that had just let go of her suitcase, "Arizona, I like your house already. I like that you have real grass."

With her other hand, she reached in and pulled out the last duffel bag that was thrown in, then put it down to shut the trunk. As soon as the cab was gone, she bent her lead down just a little bit, about to place a quick kiss on those lips she couldn't get enough of before there was a throat clearing behind them, deterring her.

Straightening back up, she turned her head taking in the woman standing in front of them. She was an inch taller than Callie herself was, but her body was slimmer. Very … svelte, she decided the word was. She had long, straight reddish hair and white skin that Callie recognized as the tone that would never get a tan, only sunburn. She was dressed in night time runners clothes, glow in the dark vest over her light jacket, presumably out for a run. And then there was the set of wide olive green eyes that only had eyes for her girlfriend.

She turned her attention to Arizona as well, whose hand held tighter to Callie's her eyes becoming so frosty Callie wondered how this woman wasn't freezing right before her eyes. Her voice was flatter than she'd ever heard it before as she greeted, "Hello, Joanne."

Her eyes snapped back to the woman in front of them. _This_ was Joanne. She looked nothing like the mythic beast Callie had been imagining her to be for the last few months. She had a smile ghosting around her lips, and that combined with her freckles that made her appear to be a few years younger, made her look… sweet. But it was her eyes that gave her away, Callie thought, her own stomach clenching in response to them. Those were predatory eyes. And she kind of really wanted to scratch them out.

And she had a southern accent to top it all off. A soft-spoken twang that could leave her mistaken as a southern bell in distress, "Hey, Zo."

Zo? Turning her head, unsure of what she should do or say and trying to take her cue from Arizona, she couldn't help but mouth at her girlfriend, _Zo_? Her hand that wasn't still entangled with the blonde's clenched… she wasn't really a physically violent person, but she really, really wanted to hit this woman.

Those monstrous green eyes still hadn't turned in her direction yet, as if she didn't deserve the light of day, and then when they did – the slightest flicker – she saw the hint of malice in them just before Joanne went on to say, "You look good. Even better than you did Friday. Like I said then, Boston seems to be good for you."

Pathetic. Callie could sniff her attack a mile away – as if Arizona hadn't told her about Joanne trying to make a move on her. As if she didn't know. Well suck it, bitch, she thought, and opened her mouth to speak before her arm struck out of it's own volition.

But Arizona beat her, a smile breaking out over her face, "You know what Joanne? Boston is good for me. Among other things," she squeezed Callie's hand then, and turned to look at her, a warm smile Callie was familiar with on her lips.

Even though her girlfriend seemed uncaring as to the effect her words had on the woman across from them, the Latina took immense pleasure in the way her face clearly blanched. And because Arizona was no longer giving her the attention she wanted, Joanne was forced to actually look at Callie. More than willing to step forward, she offered her hand and flashed as bright a smile as she could, her own inner-wolf coming out, "Callie Torres –"

"My girlfriend," Arizona cut her off before she could finish her introduction, the pride swimming in her voice something that made Callie feel ridiculously warm inside.

This time, Joanne's flinch was palpable to all parties before she covered it up and ran her eyes down Callie's body in an obvious and very much practiced perusal that if it was coming from anyone else, she would have brushed it off with an eye roll, but the fact that it was coming from _this_ woman just made her skin crawl. And it was all it took for her to snap.

Only, once again, Arizona spoke before she could open her mouth, her voice more vicious than Callie had ever heard it before, "Don't – don't look at her like that. Don't even look at her, at all. You know what, _Jo_, don't look at either one of us, all right? Just go back into the hole you crawled out from."

With that, she let go of Callie's hand to reach down and pull the strap of a duffel bag over her shoulder. She reached down to take the handle of Callie's heavy suitcase and sailed past Joanne, on the way to her front door. The brunette quickly followed suit, grabbing the two other large bags they still had sitting on the ground, and raising her eyebrow in a look she knew screamed, _So take that, bitch_, before following Arizona in the direction of the house, throwing the redhead one last look over her shoulder, who was still standing in the same spot looking shocked.

Arizona had the front door unlocked and was stepping through the threshold by the time Callie caught up to her, swiftly closing the door behind them, closing them away from those predator eyes. Tugging the handle of the suitcase out of Arizona's hand, she made it drop to the ground, then held her girlfriend's shoulders and made her look at her, still feeling her body tremble under her hands.

"I don't think I've ever seen you _really_ snap at someone," she said, her eyes searching the usually perky face that she loved so much.

Her slim shoulders shrugged restlessly, "I didn't… she always had that way of checking girls out that is just – like she's undressing you with her eyes. And I can't let Joanne undress you with her eyes! It's rude and disrespectful and –"

Dropping the bag she still had in her grip, she brought both hands up to frame Arizona's face, silencing her by sweeping both of her thumbs over the corners of soft lips, "My knight in shining armor," she said, smiling, trying to wipe that disconcerted look off the blonde's face. "I could have put her in her place. I was going to, before you did."

The anger that was still there dissipated, and shoulders sagged lightly, "I know you could have. I know you _would_ have, but… I was hoping – irrationally, obviously – that we wouldn't interact with Joanne during this trip. I don't want you to have to knew her at all, and I don't want you to have to talk to her or – or anything. Because she's really not good enough to look at you, I mean it. Not good enough," she mumbled again, her eyes downcast before looking back up into Callie's, a small smile tugging up her own lips, "I guess I'm a little crazy, too."

Repeating the words Arizona had spoken to her minutes ago, she shrugged, "I guess you're just lucky I love you despite you being crazy." Sliding her hands upwards now, her fingers tunneled into the blonde hair that fell in light waves, and she dipped her head in closer, "And you know what? You going all "don't even look at my woman" was kind of hot."

Her eyes had already fluttered closed, but she felt Arizona smile as their lips drew closer to each other, "Really?" she whispered, her warm breath washing over Callie's lips, making her body tighten with want.

Instead of giving her a verbal answer, she lowered her head until their mouths met, opening on instinct as soon as they collided. Feeling Arizona's tongue swirl around her own for just a second before she did that thing, stroking it upwards, to the roof of Callie's mouth, which she had learned was something Callie really enjoyed. And, shit, she really enjoyed it, the action shooting sparks to between her legs.

Her hands traveled down, quickly finding their way to Arizona's waist, then sliding to flex on the hipbones that she fucking _loved_, she walked them backwards until Arizona's back hit a wall, and then her own body crashed into hers. Feeling hands reach down and grip her own hips, she pressed closer into the blonde's body, their breasts rubbing against each other, making her shudder, heat collecting low in her stomach.

And then the front door opened, the sound barely registering over the blood rushing in her head, until she heard a throat being cleared. Freezing against Arizona, she finally remembered where she was –

Standing just inside the Robbins' family house, pinning Arizona to a wall. Feeling a blush work it's way up her neck to her cheeks, she gently disconnected their lips, closing her eyes tightly for just a moment whispering to the blonde, "Your parents?"

Brown eyes opened to see an amused look on Arizona's face as she nodded. Quickly, she pushed herself off, and stepped back, trying to create a respectable distance, before she looked up at the couple in front of her. They were both in their fifties, she would guess. Both still fit and attractive, wearing formal attire, the woman – who was smiling brightly in a way that looked so much like her girlfriend's smile Callie found it impossible to not smile back – had dimples, whereas the man – who was not smiling – had laser sharp blue eyes.

Trying to push out of her mind that her first interaction with Arizona's parents was them walking through their front door to see them making out, her hands dangerously close to slipping under their daughter's shirt, she just kept her smile on her face, "Um… hi. I'm Callie."

"Oh, we know who you are, honey," Arizona's mom chuckled, then stepped forward her arms opening as if about to envelop her in an embrace, before she paused, "Some people don't like to hug. Do you hug?"

Laughing, she nodded, "I hug." And immediately, Arizona's mother – who was a good six inches shorter than her own five foot nine, had her arms around her. She didn't know if it was because of her own lack of a mother and maternally warm hugs for the better part of a year or what, but she liked this woman right away.

Soon, she pulled away, though she held on to her elbows, "You are absolutely stunning. Really, truly. And it's so nice to meet you! Arizona is so tight lipped all of the time about her love life, but she's started to tell us more and more about you in the last month or so – practically gushing, you should hear her – and –"

Arizona jumped forward, and Callie could see the blush on her cheeks as well, "Mom! Please, we just got here. Calliope doesn't want to hear all of these stories."

Shooting her girlfriend a look from the corner of her eye, she lifted a brow, "I don't? I think I would be pretty interested to know how much you talk about me." Her tone was light, but she was completely serious, the older woman's words making her incredibly happy.

Barbara laughed, "Well, we'll have plenty of time to chat over the next two weeks. Without my daughter's interruptions," she winked at her, then moved in to give Arizona a hug as well.

Callie took the moment to look up at the stern, muscular man who had his arms crossed, standing in front of the door. Arizona had always talked about him as if he were some sort of teddy bear, but the man who was regarding her with that serious, measuring look was anything but. She tried not to fidget under his gaze, finding it increasingly difficult. Then she took an awkward step forward, offering her hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he responded, his face still set in stone, as he gave her hand a firm shake for a few seconds, then dropped it and resumed his position of standing with his hands folded behind his back. At attention, she thought it was called, then again, her only knowledge of the military was what she'd seen in movies.

Swallowing hard, she felt herself feel flustered again. Arizona's mom might have found it cute to walk in on them locked in a passionate kiss, but he definitely didn't. She'd always been the one _with_ the protective father… never opposing one. And it was something fierce and intense, and she was grateful when she felt Arizona's hand reach for hers.

Barbara had taken one of the duffel bags and was starting up the stairs, "I'm sure you two must be tired. We're so sorry we weren't able to meet your flight, but Daniel had his work banquet."

"It's no problem," she waved it off. After all, the day from airport hell was in no way, shape, or form to blame on the parents Robbins. Their initial flight was supposed to leave from Logan Airport hours earlier than the one they'd found themselves on, due to their languorous morning _activities_ that ended up lasting much longer than either woman anticipated or planned on, and since they'd been at Callie's apartment, Arizona had to rush back to her apartment to get her own bags…

Regardless to say, they'd been a little too irresponsible with their time pre-flight and ended up having to pay the fees to get their tickets exchanged for a different time. Thankfully, it was for the same day. When Arizona had called her mom to let her know, she'd been unsure as to whether or not they would be out of the Colonel's work banquet by then – the original plan was that Arizona would have this first night to show Callie around without her parents "getting in the way" as her mom had jokingly said.

Arizona had grabbed another piece of luggage and started following her mom, and as Callie bent to get the last one – her suitcase – she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Arizona's dad reach for the handle, "I've got it. You're our guest."

So maybe he wasn't as hard as she'd thought. She smiled up at him, "Thank you, Mr. Robbins."

"You can call me Colonel," he said in his gruff voice, then led her in the direction of his wife and daughter who were now on the second floor, waiting for them.

Okay, maybe not. Biting her lip, she followed him, "Um, yes, sir. Colonel," she added, cringing at herself.

Barbara narrowed her eyes at her husband, hearing the snippet of conversation, then looped her arm through Callie's as she reached the top of the stairs, "Well, you can call me _Barbara_," she stressed, shooting her husband another look.

Arizona clapped her hands together, "All right, my room is this way," she jammed her thumb over her shoulder, then reached to take Callie's hand in hers as the Colonel simply walked to the closest door on the right and swung it open.

Placing Callie's suitcase down in the doorway, he said, "We set up Tim's room for Callie to stay in."

Arizona's hands fisted on her hips, her eyes glaring, "Dad. Callie and I are grown women – we sleep in the same bed several times a week when we're at school, and –"

Looking back and forth between father and daughter, she jumped forward, walking toward the room the Colonel was standing in front of, "I'll sleep in Tim's room. It's really fine, I don't mind," the words fell from her mouth before her girlfriend could say anything else, because this whole meeting the Robbins wasn't going as smooth as she had hoped.

The Colonel gave her a nod with a small smile – the first one that had graced his face since he'd walked into the front door, then turned back to face his daughter, who was clearly still fuming, "See? Callie has no problem with it, Bug. Neither should you."

Arizona turned to look at her mother, clearly exasperated, and Callie sensed that she saw this battle coming, "Mom, come on."

Barbara reached her hand out and ran it down her arm, "Honey, you knew to expect this from your father."

The Colonel nodded as if that was final, then opened his mouth as if to say something when his phone started ringing. Looking down he grimaced, "Excuse me, ladies, but I have to take this."

Arizona's mom gave her a small smile, "This is… well, this is Daniel. Even when Joanne and Arizona lived together at school, he still wouldn't allow them to share a bed here. Same way with Timmy's girlfriends when he's home."

"If you like it you better put a ring on it," Arizona mumbled.

Callie laughed, "What?"

"That's what Tim and I named the rule after that song came out. The Colonel says engagement gives you same bed privileges under his roof," blue eyes rolled, then landed back on her mom, who shrugged.

"I told him you were going to fight it," she shrugged, then lowered her voice to a whisper, "It's not like we do room checks," she added with another wink, then yawned, moving to place the bag she had in her arms – Callie's bag – next to her suitcase. "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together tonight, but I'll be making breakfast bright and early tomorrow. Seven thirty sound good?"

Dear god, she was in a house full of morning people. It figured; Arizona was always asleep early – if she had the choice – and rose pretty much at seven every day. On the nights where they were up late, past one in the morning, she would sleep maybe until nine. _Maybe_. And even that was pushing the envelope. But she couldn't just not go to the breakfast her girlfriend's mom was going to make her.

Arizona walked up next to Callie, interlocking their fingers, "Mom, Callie is too polite to say tell you, but she's not really a morning person."

"No, no I can be at breakfast for seven thirty," she insisted, lightly pinching Arizona's side with her other hand.

The blonde yelped, then glared at her, "What? I was just telling the truth. You aren't a morning person! You shouldn't have to get up early every single day of your vacation."

Barbara patted her on the shoulder, "It's okay, you don't have to be up for seven thirty. The option is there. If not, feel free to get anything you want from the kitchen – or from anywhere. This is your house for the next two weeks, too," she smiled reassuringly at both of them, "Now, I'm off to get ready for bed. You girls be good," she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Goodnight," they both chimed in unison.

With a deep breath – first introduction is the hardest part, and it didn't go… terribly – Callie shifted, taking a step toward Tim's bedroom that had been set up for her to use, only for Arizona to tighten her grip on her hand, "Calliope, where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, to move my stuff into the bedroom?" she didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but the serious look on Arizona's face seemed to call for it.

Those blue eyes looked up into hers, eyebrows raised, "You can just spend the night in my room. Like my mom said, they're not going to check. And I want to cuddle," she added, her eyes big and smile charming.

Callie wanted to cuddle too – she always wanted to fall asleep with Arizona. They spent, as her girlfriend had pointed out, about half the nights of the week together. Usually every night on the weekend, as the nights before their morning class together – Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday nights she looked forward to lying in bed because she was going to be there with Arizona. And on the other nights, it wasn't nearly as restful a sleep.

But they weren't at their homes; they were at the Robbins' home. "Sweetie, I obviously want to sleep with you, too. But we're in your mom and dad's house and your dad's first impression of me is seeing me pressing you against the wall, ready to devour you. _The Colonel_ is already weary of me – I can't just break his rules on the first night!"

The pout that she loved worked its way onto Arizona's mouth, and she looked at her through her eyelashes, apologetic, "I'm sorry. I should have given you a little warning about them ahead of time. I meant to; I didn't think they would be home from the banquet before we moved your bags up into my room."

Lifting a brow, "Go on," she said, shifting and kicking her luggage the rest of the way into the room, pulling her girlfriend in with her, "Did you say warn me?"

Arizona did that biting her bottom lip thing that drove Callie crazy, "Yes. See, obviously, my mom is super intrusive and nosy. She knows no boundaries – I mean it. So if she's asking you stuff that you don't want to talk about or answer, you just have to tell her. Otherwise she's just going to keep going."

Closing the door with her foot, she moved her hands to rest on the blonde's hips, finding her parental advice just the slightest bit amusing, "Arizona, I already like your mom. I think she seems sweet."

"She is," the blonde was quick to agree, "It's just… sometimes, she's _too _sweet. But she's not the one you need to worry about – because she really does already love you. My dad…" she trailed off, bringing her hands to rest on Callie's forearms, stroking her thumbs over the skin there, "He's really protective," she finished, her voice soft.

A laugh bubbled out of her throat, "I can tell. But I understand protective dads. My own is – was – one," she cleared her throat and refused to think about him, "Don't worry. I've never met a set of parents who didn't love me. It's like a magical power I have."

"I just want to warn you that the Colonel doesn't always warm up to people, that quickly. And he never liked Joanne," she added, rolling her eyes, "Seven years, never once warmed up to her."

"See? Your dad and I already have something in common," she said, wiggling the hips in her hands from side to side, making Arizona laugh, "And as we both know, I am not Joanne. Your dad will see that." And if he didn't… well, she wasn't going to let it deter her from being with her.

The hands resting on her arms slid to her wrists, grasping and pulling her in closer, "You're kind of amazing."

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she joked, "I know," before becoming more serious and lowering her head as Arizona tipped hers up, "So are you."

Their lips touched softly, rubbing over one another's with just the hint of something more below the surface, and Callie pulled back, whispering, "We can't make out in your brothers room with your parents down the hall. It's weird."

"But making out in my foyer is fine?" she joked, blue eyes flipping up to hers, the sky blue already darkening, "How about we both unpack a little bit, and get ready for bed, and you come see me in _my_ room for some late-night... making out?"

The way she said making out, with the lowered edge in her voice, made Callie shiver, but she shook her head, "I told you, we're not having sex while we're at your parents' house, Arizona."

That pout came back in full swing, "Calliope, come on!"

"We talked about this last night. And this morning. No sex in your parents' house, especially now that your dad won't even let me sleep in the same room as you," she shook her head, staying firm. Her goal was to win the Colonel's respect, not lose any chance of ever gaining it.

Heaving a sigh, a blonde head dropped to her shoulder, "Fine. Just _fine_. But you're going to want it just as much as me, I'm not the only one who can't keep it in my pants," she whispered, turning her face, letting her lips connect with soft, sensitive, caramel skin.

Her fingers dug into the hips underneath them, eyes rolling back because she already did want to have sex just as much as Arizona did. They'd had three, long, rolling rounds of it already earlier today, and it still wasn't enough. It was never enough. Breath shuddering out at the feeling of those lips on her throat, she stepped backwards, automatically putting more space between them, "I can have self-control. I can go without," she said, the words more directed to herself than Arizona. "Besides, before this last month, I went for months. You're the one who couldn't control herself when we were sleeping in bed together," she teased, but made the mistake of even thinking about that event, which never failed to turn her on.

An adorable light pink blush tinged pale cheeks, and she narrowed her eyes, "You liked it."

"I did," she breathed out, "I really did." Dropping her hands because she needed to have some semblance of control, she looked around the room, "Okay. I will sneak over for some late night cuddling, but no funny business."

"Deal," a bright smile flashed across her girlfriends' face.

Almost an hour later, she was dressed in pajama shorts with one of her old T-shirts on, waiting to hear the Colonel's footsteps go to bed. Arizona said that was the cue that it was all clear to come over, but she hadn't heard a thing. She'd already poked around the room – it was practically a guest room, she thought, then did the math out in her head. Tim had moved into it at eighteen, after he'd already enlisted. There were still boxes in here of stuff, probably from a decade ago, before their last move, that he just never found it imperative to open.

A few pictures were scattered across his desk, and she'd already looked at them several times, particularly loving the one with both Robbins children in a sandbox. Arizona was probably around two or three, and her hair was still that baby-platinum. She was laughing into the camera, dimples in full display. It was probably the cutest picture she'd ever seen in her entire life, and it made her think of a future that involved a Robbins baby. Which was silly, she knew, and something that would definitely be years into the future.

But Arizona was in this for good, she thought, and so was she. The last time her girlfriend had been in love, she'd been ready to get married. And Callie liked to think they could have the same future. If they did, that had to involve a blonde baby, with a smile that could make the world better just by having the world's most adorable dimples.

Getting way too far ahead, she reminded herself, then turned from looking at the picture. Finally, heavy footsteps walked past her door, and she waited until she heard a bedroom door close down the hall – the opposite way of Arizona's door, as her girlfriend told her it was the last one down on the right. Waiting a few seconds to make sure it was closed for good, she slowly opened her door, worried about any creaking that might happen.

Thankfully, the trip down the hall was silent, and she reached down, turning the doorknob and opening it as quietly as possible. Quickly, she spun, pressing the door closed behind her, Arizona's voice – already coming from the bed – commenting, "Now that was some smooth James Bond stuff right there."

Laughing, she made a show of tiptoeing toward the bed. The lights were already off, but she could tell that the comforter was pink. If she didn't love her girlfriend so much, she wouldn't be able to stomach such an affinity for bright pastels. The blonde already had the covers flipped back, letting her slip inside of them. The twin sized bed made snuggling necessary – otherwise one of them would be on the ground already – and Arizona was already wrapped around her by the time the blankets were pulled up.

Lying on her back, she settled against the pillow, sighing as her girlfriend's leg hooked around her own, golden hair brushing against her chin as her breath washed over her neck. This was definitely one of the best feelings in the entire world, Callie was positive, she thought, running her hand down her clothed back, slipping it under the hem, resting her hand against the bare skin of the small of her back.

After a few moments of silence, she drew her foot down Arizona's bare calf, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Mmm," came the tired response.

Feeling a small giggle work out of her throat, she asked, "Did you and Joanne really call each other Zo and Jo?"

Arizona lifted her head quickly, glaring and digging her fingers into Callie's side, which only made her laugh more, "Don't be mean! We were sixteen when we thought it would be a good idea!"

Continuing to chuckle, she scratched her nails against that pale back, "Maybe I should call you Na? Or Ar?"

"Okay, I was kidding about cuddling. Go back to your own room," Arizona ordered, her body tense under the Latina's hand.

Though she couldn't see her face clearly, she sensed that if she pushed any farther it would actually start to upset the blonde, "Sweetie, I'm kidding. We all do stupid things when we're sixteen. I lost my virginity to this guy named Alejo on a beach. Sand in bad, bad places. I had a rash!"

Now that slim body relaxed against hers again, and she could feel it shake in laughter, "Really?"

With a grimace, she nodded, "Believe me, that's really not something I would lie about."

She felt Arizona giggle for a few moments before she took a deep breath letting out a contented sigh against her neck, "Calliope? I love you."

There it was. That great, warm rush that started somewhere around her heart and flooded her entire body, "I love you too."

They laid in bed, both going in and out of sleep, both drifting in that place between sleep and awake, until Callie turned her head to see the clock, seeing that it was almost one, her voice slurred with sleep, "I should go back to Tim's room."

The arm that was thrown around her waist tightened its grip, as the leg thrown over hers bore down, and Arizona's mirroring sleepy voice spoke into her neck, "Don't go. Not yet. A little longer."

Okay, she thought. She could do a little longer. A little longer cuddling with Arizona would fly by in seconds. Sighing, she closed her eyes again, for just a little longer.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you for your great responses to last chapter and Arizona finally saying those three little words. I love writing about the Robbins parents, so I'm excited for "spring break!" Thank you for reading!**


	23. Morning Conversation

Arizona woke slowly, to hushed voices being spoken right outside of her bedroom door. She could recognize that it was a conversation between her mom and dad, but she didn't recognize why they would be having it right outside of her door, she thought with a frown, snuggling her face back down into the spot between Callie's neck and shoulder, before her eyes snapped open.

Well, that explained why they were outside. Callie was still here, in her bed, her dark hair spilling over Arizona's pillow, her breathing deep and even, obviously undisturbed by the conversation feet away. They must have accidentally fallen asleep before her Latina could make it back to Tim's bedroom. Well, she smiled into the soft warm skin below her, _she_ hadn't fallen asleep accidentally.

When Callie had made to get up last night and she asked her to stay longer, she was already half into a peaceful sleep. It was against the Colonel's rules, but she – unlike her girlfriend – didn't care about breaking those rules, and she didn't want to have to sleep without Callie's soft curves pressed against her and without that feeling of a strong arm wrapped around her waist that held on tight even when she was dreaming.

Apparently, they'd been caught – her door was cracked open and her parents were trying to speak in whispers, but she could still hear them. Her mom – who always whispered in a really non-whispery loudness – was saying, "Oh, come on, Daniel. They are too cute. You can't deny that!"

Her dad asserted, "That's not the point!" Which made her smile for two reasons: 1. She couldn't see him right now, but she could just hear that his arms were crossed while his face was unreadable, and 2. Though they'd just been caught breaking his no sleeping in the same bed rule, even he couldn't say that they weren't absolutely adorable.

"It is," her mom insisted, her voice firm, "They are both fully clothed, and I think it's safe to assume there was only some cuddling going on in there. And she is your daughter; did you really not expect her to convince her girlfriend to spend the night?"

Arizona turned her head muffled her chuckle against a caramel neck, listening to see what her dad said in response, but he was just silent – because her mother was absolutely right. For her entire life, she'd been the one in the family who'd noticeably taken after her father in both temperament and personality, whereas Tim had taken more after their mother. Tim was friendly and accepting of practically everyone he met. For her, sure, she was friendly, but she wasn't going to trust in you until she knew you.

The subtle victory was present in my mom's tone when she added on, "And, honey, Callie's hand is resting right over Arizona's heart. It's the sweetest thing."

Blue eyes peered down at herself to see that her mother was right. Callie's hand, the one that wasn't resting on her waist, but the one that went behind Arizona's head at night, was curled around the blonde's shoulder, the tan hand palm down, right over her chest. She wondered how often this happened subconsciously when she didn't even notice.

Her dad had a response now, though, and he huffed, "I'd say it's resting over something else."

Her mom's laughter was instantaneous and loud enough that it managed to make Callie shift and murmur slightly in her sleep, "Really? I would say _our daughter's_ hand is resting right on something else…"

Okay, she thought, flexing her right hand, that was indeed cupping her favorite physical part of her girlfriend. This part was slightly embarrassing – not that she was doing it, because this was a way that she'd realized she'd woken up to for weeks. She couldn't help it, even her subconscious self loved Callie's boobs – but that both of her parents had seen it.

Sighing, she drew her hand down, away from her girlfriend's T-shirt covered chest; it just wasn't very enjoyable when her parents were right outside the door. As unobtrusively as she could, she slid out of bed, out of the hold Callie had on her waist. It was only seven in the morning, and she didn't want her to wake up with Arizona's parents – the Colonel, especially – outside of the bedroom door, talking about their sleeping arrangements.

Without bothering to change her clothes or brush her hair, she walked to the door and opened it just enough to slip out, drawing her parents' attention. "Good morning," she smiled at them, all too familiar with the stern look her father aimed her way.

Her mom reached out and ran her hand down Arizona's arm, "Morning, honey. Is Callie up?"

Closing the door behind her, she shook her head, "She sleeps like the dead. But I'd prefer if we let her sleep for a little while? Can we possibly move this conversation downstairs?"

It was then that she noticed her mother's purse over her shoulder, "I'd love to continue this discussion, but I got called in to sit in on the City Council meeting." She took a step forward, bracing her hand on her husband's shoulder, getting on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek, whispering, "For the record, I still vote for Arizona and Callie to be able to sleep in the same bed."

He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the back of it softly, before letting it go, "I know you do." Turning to face his daughter once more, he tilted his head, "But that's not the rules of the house, and I have to leave for work, soon, too. Bug, I'll let it go this time, but not again. The rules are in place for a reason."

"What is the good reason? Callie and I are in a committed relationship, and there is no way either one of us could do something like get each other pregnant," she stopped herself from rolling her eyes, knowing the gesture just made the Colonel irritated.

"The subject isn't up for discussion, Arizona," he said, his voice firm, "I don't know this girl. And until I feel I can trust her, the rules are in place. That is that."

Biting her tongue, she drew her mouth into a straight line, "Yes, sir," she mumbled. Arguing the with Colonel very rarely had an outcome that was positive, and she had to pick her battles. And while the evidence of she and Callie breaking the rules – Callie still sleeping in her bed only feet away on the other side of the door – with her still in her pajamas, hair mussed, was _not_ the smart time for a battle.

He gave her a small smile and reached out to muss her hair just a little bit more, "Sorry, but this is how it is. You knew that before you brought her home."

She was frustrated that he was right, "I know, but… dad, Callie is super trustworthy. Just look at her smile!" Arizona was sure no one could doubt her girlfriend after seeing that megawatt grin sent in their direction.

He lightly tapped her chin with his finger, conceding just a bit, "She does have a nice smile." But before she could at least gloat in that victory, he held up his finger, "That doesn't excuse her sneaking into your room."

Now she couldn't help but roll her eyes; it was just an automatic motion, "Well, if we're being technical, I'm the one who practically bullied her into coming into my room. And staying when she wanted to leave. I'm just a _very_ persuasive girlfriend."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his cheeks darkening just the slightest bit in color, "I think we've talked enough about this. Just don't do it again."

Feeling a smile work across her face, she added, "She has a lot more self-control than I do, dad. You should actually be thankful for her."

Refusing to give in to her mischievous grin, he shook his head, "I'm going to go to get ready for work now, and this is _definitely_ the end of this conversation."

She suspected that her dad might already like Callie just the littlest bit, because the one time he'd caught her and Joanne sleeping in her bed, he didn't give them the courtesy of continuing to sleep in, instead, he'd stood over them with his arms crossed. She was sure his imposing presence was enough to startle them both out of a dead sleep.

Her hand hadn't even been on Joanne's… anything. They weren't even touching. But her dad had just never liked her; he had never said as much to her, supporting her decision of who to be with, but it was obvious. However she was sure that, he would see, just as she had seen, that Callie was so far from Joanne.

Opening the door behind her, slipping back in, she stood still in the doorway for a moment, simply watching her girlfriend – who had now rolled onto her stomach and shoved her dark head under a pillow. Walking closer, she reached out her hand and moved it lightly through the messy black tresses. This love that she felt for Callie was so... easy. Sometimes it felt so big, overwhelming, that it scared her. But as long as that was the only problem, she was positive they were in good shape.

Walking over to her window, she looked out. The day was sunny, and she could see the park, where she had quickly established a running route zigzagging through it the day after she'd moved into her house. Still hearing Callie snore behind her, she knew she would be sleeping for a while longer, and her old running shoes that still sat in her closet were calling to her.

As quietly as she could, she quickly changed, and threw her hair into a ponytail without even brushing it, aside from a quick finger comb. She was just going to shower when she returned, anyway. Opening her closet door, she smiled at the sight of her worn, beaten runners. The laces were so old they strained as she tied them up tight, but they were so worth it. These shoes had gone with her on long, hard runs for hours whenever she'd had any of her problems with her ex-girlfriend; they'd been through a lot together.

When she was ready to go, she walked back to her bed, leaning down to press a light kiss to Callie's cheek, sweeping her hair back. Even though she was still sleeping, she whispered, "I'll be back. Just going for a run."

She ran the same route she'd been running for years, and it felt exhilarating. While she did truly love Boston, and while she liked the winter weather, she was definitely ready for it to become spring like it was starting to be here. And there was really no perfect route the way there was here.

But as much as she had missed this specific area, she pushed herself to go faster than her usual pace. For the last few years, when she left her house to go for a run, she was running away from the house next door, and for the first time, she wasn't pushing herself harder because she wanted to get out her bad emotions. She was pushing herself to get back home, instead of running from it.

And god, the endorphins pumping through her veins gave her such a buzz, that coupled with her good reflective mood, she was on a high. As she rounded the halfway point, she realized – continuing with a bounce in her step – that her parents weren't home. Well, her dad was, but he should be gone by the time she returned. Which meant… _yes_. Today was going to be a good day.

"Zo!" she heard a voice call out from behind her, footsteps pounding. Without bothering to turn around, she maintained her pace. She was so done slowing down anything in her life for Joanne. Then a hand took a hold of her wrist, slowing her, "Hey, I was calling your name. I saw you leave a while ago, and I wanted to talk to you, about last night."

Pulling her hand away, she simply lifted an eyebrow in response, "Was I not clear enough when I said not to even look at us? To leave us alone?"

In a move that was so uncharacteristic of Joanne, the tall woman kicked her foot at the ground, shrugging, "I just thought… you might have been overreacting a little bit. I mean, I've never seen you really lash out before. I'm just trying to be friendly here, right now."

"I don't want you to be friendly; I want you to just back off," she snapped, resuming her fast pace.

Joanne just started running as well, "I get that, I guess. But it's been weird, you know, not having you around. You've always been around, Zo, for ten years, I had you here. Then, all of the sudden, you were just gone." She managed to lean in closer, running her hand down Arizona's arm, "Amanda and I broke up."

She simply stepped to the side, unable to comprehend how that touch had ever been able to make her feel good in any way. For long moments, she didn't respond while thoughts swirled in her head. Mean, nasty comments that could easy slip out if she let them. _What a surprise. Who cheated on who?_ But she kept her face forward and her head high, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Joanne's pace faltered, "Y-you are?" Without responding, she just made herself go a bit faster. Joanne kept her speed up to match and kept talking, "I'm sorry about everything. You really were the best for me and I threw you away, for what?" She asked, kicking a rock out of the way. When Arizona still didn't speak, she kept going, "Anyway, I thought after seeing you at that conference, that we could –"

Finally feeling her anger bubble over the surface, she stopped walking and grabbed Joanne's wrist, initiating contact between them for the first time in… a very long time, so she would look at her face and see how much she meant the words, "Listen, I don't know how to make it any clearer: I don't want you anymore."

Green eyes, stared at her, wide, as if surprised, "What?"

Planting her feet on the ground in a steady stance, she stared into those eyes, "I'm over you. I have someone now, who really loves me. I don't wonder when she goes out if she's cheating on me, because I know she never would. Maybe I was the best for you, but I'm even better for her, and she's the best for me. So, I don't want you anymore. For the first time, Joanne, I don't feel the need to have you in any way, shape, or form because I just don't care. You can do whatever or whoever you want, and for the first time since I've known you, _I don't care_."

Her heart pounded with the truth of the words. If she didn't count last night, this was the first time in a decade that she put Joanne down in a way that seemed to get through to the redhead, who stood, her mouth open. Even after they'd broken up – both times – during the fights that ensued, Joanne had always been left the one with the upper hand, the one unaffected.

But not anymore. Looking up, she saw Joanne clearly for the first time; she wasn't perfect, as Arizona's love struck eyes had once seen, and she wasn't the devil, as her profoundly hurt self had thought of her. What she was, was pathetic.

And Arizona was done. The redhead stood staring down at her, dumbstruck, because what she had said earlier was right – Arizona had never really stuck up for herself before in a way that wasn't just a defense mechanism. Joanne had ruined her, and made her feel like she was nothing, but now she wasn't nothing. Now she was something.

* * *

Callie woke up uncharacteristically early for herself, automatically reaching out her arm for her girlfriend. When she wasn't there, she sleepily blinked open her eyes. And when she realized that she was still in Arizona's room, she pushed herself up quickly.

Damn it. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she cursed herself. Well, it was still early – barely even seven thirty – maybe Arizona's dad hadn't seen her. Her instincts told her otherwise, because she knew without a doubt that he woke up with the sun every day, but she was hoping for the best.

Opening Arizona's bedroom door slowly, she looked back and forth down the hallway, not seeing or hearing a peep. Taking it as a good sign, she crept back down to Tim's room where her clothes were. Quickly changing into a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, she searched through her bags for a brush. Of course she had forgotten to pack one. There was always _something_.

Making her way back to the room of her girlfriend's past, she still tiptoed even though she didn't think there was anyone here – where _was_ Arizona, anyway? She managed to wake herself up early, and her girlfriend still managed to wake up even earlier. Walking back into the bedroom, she took a second to look around at it, which she didn't get a chance to do last night, and didn't take the time to do minutes ago.

The walls were a pale, lavender purple, going with the pastel pink of her bedspread. The desk and bureau were painted white, and, she saw with a smile, shaking her head, there were yellow butterflies painted on the wall. They were… cute. Of course, she would never tell Arizona that, and conversely, she wouldn't ever think they were cute for anyone else except for her girlfriend.

The room was bright and bubbly, exactly what she would expect from Arizona, only even _more_ than her apartment was. Callie hadn't thought it was possible, but apparently teenage Arizona, who had decorated this room, had actually mellowed into adult Arizona. Unlike in Tim's room as she'd peeked around in last night, Arizona's had no boxes or clutter, but was mostly cleaned out. Bookshelves were empty, and there were no pictures anywhere, because she's most likely taken her belongings with her when she'd moved.

Well, hopefully, she had a brush somewhere in here, or Callie was going to have bedhead all day. It took her a few minutes, but she found one. Just as she used it to style her hair back into a nice look, the smell of coffee wafted through the air, and she heard the faintest sound coming from downstairs.

Assuming it was Arizona, she followed the heaven-sent smell down the stairs, where she paused to see the pictures that lined the wall. There were some of the Colonel and Barbara from years ago. They had both aged extremely well over the thirty or so year span she could see. Walking farther down, she saw the life of her girlfriend unfold before her eyes.

There she was as a child, maybe eight years old, her hair in blonde braids, smiling brightly without her two front teeth. In the background was a beach, and her skin was a golden tan, and Callie assumed this was Hawaii. A few steps down, she stopped again, looking at a picture of a teenage Arizona, she would guess fourteen or fifteen, on a frozen lake – this was in Germany, she guessed – ice skates adorning her feet as she posed, blowing a kiss at the camera. It was so cold, her breath was in steam, looking like it was being blown toward the camera.

It looked incredibly cool, and she lifted a hand to lightly trace over the frame, when the Colonel spoke from the bottom step, "My son took that picture."

She jumped, and slapped her hand back down, "It's really good."

The pride was clear on his face as he walked up a few steps to look at it with her, "It is. He's gifted with the arts, my boy. Bug, she was a straight A student in all of her classes, but she's hopeless with art. Tim is the opposite." He felt very powerfully about them, that much was clear, and she found it incredibly endearing.

Her dad used to brag about her like that, she thought, tracing over the older man's features with her eyes. "My dad used to say stuff like that about my sister and I," she said, surprising herself, "Aria, she's very dreamy, but I always did well in school."

His blue eyes, so much like Arizona's and yet different, looked at her, measuring. Much like last night, she didn't want to flinch away, but this man had been to war, he'd seen combat. He worked at _Quantico_ for crying out loud, and he knew how to stare at someone to make them break, "You slept in my daughter's room last night."

A blush stained her cheeks, and she could feel the heat radiating from her, "I… yes, sir. Colonel," she corrected, making the same mistake as she did last night, "I'm sorry. I should have respected your rules, and I didn't. I shouldn't have slept in there."

The Colonel's face seemed to lighten in it's sternness just a tiny bit, "Knowing my daughter – and I do – it was indeed her doing. But you took responsibility," he nodded at her, and she thought she might just have made a tiny bit of headway, as he turned from her, "She's out for a run right now. How about we get a cup of coffee so we can talk?"

As if she had any choice in the matter, she thought in amusement, and followed him into the kitchen. He stopped and pulled out two mugs from a cabinet, setting them down in front of the coffeemaker, and filling it, before handing it to her black. It was how Arizona took her coffee, too, she thought, taking it from him, "Thank you."

He made his way to the other side of the counter that jutted out into the room, separating a kitchen table from the oven, fridge, and sink. As he sat on a stool, she looked around, spotting the time again, "Seven thirty. Mrs. Robbins said she was going to be making breakfast now," she observed, and when he gave her a questioning look, she froze, "I don't mean – I don't expect her to cook for me or anything I was just… would you mind if I made something for breakfast?"

"Not at all," he sipped at his coffee once more, "So you cook?"

Surprised by the light question, she started looking through the cabinets, finding dishes she needed, thankful to be keeping her hands busy, "Yes, sir. I actually really enjoy it. I'm thinking about making French toast," she murmured, thinking about how it was Arizona's favorite, and she was always hungry after a run, "Do you want some?"

"Please," he answered, then stood to gather her the bread and eggs from the fridge, placing them on the counter. As she started to prepare the food, she could feel him watching her. She felt like he could see a million words just by the way her hands moved.

Finally, she paused, "Is there something you wanted to talk about, in particular?"

Very slowly, he put down the mug he'd been bringing to his mouth, "For starters, you seem extremely nervous around me."

Before she could stop herself, a laugh ripped from her mouth, "I, um, I am. A little nervous."

"Why?" He folded his hands, calm and unflappable, unresponsive to the laugh she'd just thrown out.

Which made her look down at her hands, then back up at him, "To be honest, you intimidate me. And, I get this feeling that you disapprove of me, but I came here really wanting you to approve."

"I intimidate you?" he asked once again, and that stupid laugh came out again, as if giving her answer to him _obviously_. She expected him to look like the fact that she was intimidated by him be a bad thing, but he actually looked the most pleased she'd seen so far. As if sensing her confusion, he kept going, "I'm just going to cut to the chase here: my daughter has only ever been serious about one other woman. And that woman did not respect me, my wife, or my daughter. You see, Callie, my Bug is… she's precious."

The word surprised her, coming from a man who stood over six feet tall, his shoulders wide, but his voice was soft, the affection for his daughter obvious. She nodded, "I agree, Colonel."

He gave her that measuring look again, less harsh than before, she thought, and continued, "Joanne didn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated, and I watched her bruise my daughter, repeatedly. Not break, because Arizona is too strong to be broken. But she took a part of her away, and you're not a parent, so – you're not a parent, are you?"

Shocked, she stared at him wide-eyed, shaking her head vigorously, "No, sir. Absolutely not."

"Well, you're not a parent so you don't understand this, but seeing your child hurt is the worst kind of pain. So you need to understand that when I see you, I see someone who gave my daughter back that part of her that Joanne took. But I also see someone who could cause her that pain again," his eyes were hard on hers, searching.

And she could only give back the truth, "Colonel, I know I don't know what it means to love a child, but I know what it means to love her. I know that when her eyes fill with tears it's heartbreaking, and I know how her voice gets small when she feels hurt, and how that small voice just digs right into your soul. And I know that I never want to see those things, either. And I certainly don't want to cause them."

He watched her for a few seconds, a frown on his face, and driven by the sight of it, her stomach sank, and she looked back down. Only to see his hand slowly reach out and touch hers, lightly, "I believe you. I'm not saying I completely trust you, yet. But we're in the right direction."

She didn't know if she had ever felt more relieved in her entire life, feeling it wash over her like rain, "Thank you, Colonel."

He nodded, and they went back to silence for a few moments while she moved to the stove. By the time she'd started making the food, he asked, "Out of all of the girlfriends' fathers you've met, how intimidating am I?"

Confused, she turned around and saw the smile on his face. It was genuine, and it transformed the harsh seriousness of his face into a smooth, charming look, making her smile in response, "Well, I would say you are extremely intimidating. And meeting you last night while you were in your marines uniform from your banquet really upped the ante, too," she tentatively joked. "But I've never met any other girlfriend's parents."

He looked slightly suspicious at her answer, his smile dimming, "No?"

Flipping the toast in the pan, she answered, "Um, no. My first girlfriend and I broke up before I met Arizona, and we weren't… I never met her family. I've met boyfriend's parents before, though."

"Boyfriends?" he asked, taking in the information. "So, I'm the first father of a girlfriend for you. If it makes you feel any better, I act the same to my son's girlfriends."

For some reason, it did. It made her feel good to know that Arizona had these parents who loved her so unconditionally, so _equally_. "I never had a brother, but I assume my father might have been the same. Though I do have to say, for every boy I brought home, my dad intimidated by making physical threats."

His eyebrows drew down, "Do I have to worry about my daughter?" he asked, but his tone was – she thought – more in a joking manner.

She let out a laugh this time, but she could hear how lackluster it was to her own ears, "I, uh, no, sir. My parents, they don't… we don't speak anymore. Not since they found out I had a girlfriend." And it was so stupid, because if Arizona had a penis, they would take one look at her and see how smart she was and how caring she was, and accept her right away.

Feeling familiar frustration, she took the spatula and flipped the French toast onto a plate, turning off the burner on the stove. When she put the plate on the counter, finding another one and putting some of the breakfast she'd made on it for herself, he spoke again, his voice angry, making her heart beat faster with his intensity, "That's a damn shame. Fathers should bend for their daughters; it's what we do. And that's not right. I'm sorry."

Arizona had told Callie that her dad was the most honorable of honorable men, and she could see it right now in the way he so clearly cared about her parental status, "Thank you. Sir," she added as an afterthought.

"How about we start this trust between us with you calling me Daniel?" he said the words nonchalantly, taking a bite of his French toast, but his words meant a lot more to her than she was sure he would know.

At that precise moment, Arizona burst through the backdoor, only able to see her girlfriend's back from where she stood, "Calliope! You're up! I wasn't expecting… well, I guess this works too. I was planning on waking you up, but now what do you say about a shower? I know you said no sex, but neither of my parents are…" as she walked farther into the room, she saw her dad standing across the counter from Callie, his face drawn tight, while Callie's face was now buried in her hands, "Uh. Hi, dad."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! A serious thank you to everyone who already does/has, you are awesome! Thank you for reading!**


	24. Smackdown

Arizona sat on the black sofa her parents had had for years, resting her hands on her knees, playing with her fingers. Callie sat next to her, her face still beet red, her hands mirroring the blonde's. Instantly, she felt like a teenager again, as the Colonel paced back and forth in front of her, his arms crossed, his face stern.

"Bug," he started, then shook his head, "Arizona. Your mother and I have rules in this house, you know that. What's the number one rule as a Robbins?" he asked, pacing done as he stood in one spot now, his hands on his hips.

Her hand crept down off her lap, sliding to find Callie's next to her. Interlacing their fingers, she sighed and made eye contact with him, knowing how her father operated, "Respect."

"Exactly," he nodded his head, "And barging in through the door, yelling about your – your sex life is inappropriate behavior in our house, at any time. Even if I wasn't home." He looked more uncomfortable now than Arizona had ever seen him, and she couldn't blame him; she felt more uncomfortable now than he had ever seen her.

She hadn't _meant_ to proclaim that she wanted to have shower sex with her hot, hot girlfriend in front of her father. The words just came out of her mouth, especially because Callie was wearing those jeans that had that rip in them right on her upper thigh, and those were one of her favorite pairs…

Her eyes inevitably fell to look at that part of her jeans, the thigh uncovered, smooth caramel skin just begging to be touched. She knew that if she ran her fingertip lightly over it, goosebumps would appear all over the Latina. She had done it once in class; in lab, she'd leaned over Callie's lab table to help her with a question, but had really only leaned in so close to touch that skin…

"Arizona Leigh Robbins, are you listening to me right now?" Her father asked, snapping her out of staring at her girlfriend and somehow having the power of shrinking her from a twenty-five year-old lady to a ten-year-old one.

Swallowing heavily, and feeling very, very dirty for having these thoughts about Callie while her _dad_ was only feet away – lecturing her about having said thoughts – she forced herself to look back at him, though unable to make direct contact, "What? Yeah, of course. Sir."

Blue eyes narrowed at her in the way they had so often done in the past, then looked at her girlfriend, "Callie, could you please excuse us for a few minutes?"

Arizona's head turned to look between her dad and her girlfriend, as Callie looked at him surprised, "I – yes, Colonel."

He managed a small smile, albeit tight, "You can still call me Daniel."

Callie's smile was much more genuine, flashing surprised across her face, "Thank you. I'll be outside," she said, her voice trailing off, those brown eyes connecting with Arizona's as she stood up.

She really did have such nice long legs – _Arizona, what is wrong with you_? She inwardly berated herself. This was so not the time. Then again, she thought maybe that was why she kept having these thoughts; they were not allowed. Callie had said no to sex while at her parent's house, and she was obviously supposed to follow the unspoken rule of no sex talk ever in front of parents. But the more she kept telling herself she wouldn't be having sex with Callie, the more she thought about it and wanted it.

Already missing having that caramel hand held in hers, she looked at her father, "How come I have to sit through your respect lecture and she doesn't? She's the one who has never heard it before," she added, only slightly joking. Her dad's lectures were notorious – not only for her and Tim, but growing up, he would lecture their friends when they did something wrong in the Robbins house, and as they got older, girlfriends were not exempt.

He moved to stand just a foot in front of her, "Because Callie did not barge into the house proposing to… I think she seems to understand the level of respect I expect here. Unlike someone who needs to be reminded."

Glimpsing sideways as the taller woman was almost out of the doorway, she narrowed her eyes at the playful look in those wide brown ones. Sinking back onto the couch, she crossed her arms over her stomach. Mid-twenties and about to hear the same lecture her father had given her so many times in her youth that she knew it word for word.

Her shirt under her hands was still damp with sweat, and she felt gross. Man, this really did make her feel like she was a teenager.

* * *

Closing the door behind her and stepping out onto the Robbins front porch, Callie put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. The air still smelled like morning – after all, it was still just before eight o'clock. She normally only saw this early hour when she had a morning class, and even then she was hurrying to get some coffee and dragging herself to sit in a classroom all afternoon.

Rarely did she have the time to breathe in the morning air. And that was okay with her, usually. But, dear god, standing out here with the slight chill still in the air was loads better than sitting on that couch inside with Arizona's dad – Daniel, she corrected herself with an inward victory dance – lecturing about sex and respect.

Come on, her own dad had never discussed her sex life with her like that. Then again, though she didn't know for sure, she was pretty positive that Arizona's parents had imposed a lot more rules on Tim and Arizona than her parents had laid down for her and Aria.

Growing up, they'd been loving and fairly attentive. But they both worked full time jobs and they both loved their full time jobs, so their time for personal life chatter with their daughters had always been somewhat limited. And neither Callie nor her sister ever just volunteered information about having sex.

Now that she was away from the laser eyes of Arizona's dad and from the heated ones of her girlfriend, which caused extremely conflicting feelings inside of her, a grin pulled at her mouth. Arizona had just ran into the kitchen to demand that they have sex. While her father was standing right there.

A quiet laugh worked its way out of her and she just couldn't stop it. If she hadn't been involved in it, if it had been Addison or Mark that this had happened to, she would be in stitches. And the look on her girlfriends face as she'd realized her dad was in the room… she laughed even harder, then even more, imaging her own face.

All that laughter vanished as a tall, willowy strawberry blonde came into her vision. Joanne. She'd never had a problem with a simple name before, but now she just couldn't even deal with that one. Joanne.

She wished she could… shit, she didn't even know what she wished she could do. But there, about twenty feet away, was the woman who had crushed her favorite person in the world's heart, twice. Who had made it so difficult for Arizona to trust and to learn to accept that Callie wasn't going to go anywhere. That made it so they couldn't go on a date for _five months_. The woman who made Arizona feel like she was nothing.

Her hands clenched into fists and she controlled her breathing. The Torres anger was a beast, and both she and her sister had inherited it. They held grudges and had generally short tempers, and she hadn't unleashed it in a long time. Plus, she remembered her girlfriends quiet words to her last night, that she didn't want to make Callie talk to Joanne ever.

So she was going to respect that.

Or, she was planning on respecting that, until Joanne saw her and stopped moving forward, just turned to look. They made eye contact, and Callie could read the challenge in those green eyes from a whole yard away. And then she couldn't stop herself from standing and charging right across the lawn, her heart pounding with the adrenaline rush that anger gave her.

Hands on her hips, she slowed her walk to a stop as she reached the sidewalk, noticing how Joanne's arms also came up to her own hips. Mirroring her, as if they were in a standoff. And they kind of were, she thought.

Staring into cold green eyes, that looked less predatory and more… pissed off, she decided, there were so many thoughts running through her head. So many comments she wanted to make and she had no idea where to start.

Instead, Joanne did, "So you're Zo's new _girl_ now? What was your name again? Caity?"

"Callie," she corrected, stepping even closer. She grew up in a sea of spoiled bratty girls, most of whom she didn't get along with; she _knew_ their attack plan. "And you're Joanne, the old _bitch_ that Arizona is done with like yesterday's garbage."

That mouth fell open, eyes narrowing in a way that made Callie immensely happy, "I looked you up last night. Apparently you're rich enough that your daddy can buy your way into med school?"

Just hearing any words about her dad from this woman's mouth was enough to set her on edge, her teeth gritting, "So you admit that you remembered my name to stalk me on the internet, but when you're taking to my face you conveniently forget it? You're a really clever girl, aren't you? What are you doing now that you don't have Arizona around to do your homework for you?" she asked, relishing in the way those mossy eyes lit up in anger.

It was one of the few stories Arizona had shared with her about Joanne. The two of them had been working on their respective papers for their Mechanisms of Vertebrae Development class, and she'd jokingly threatened to steal all of the blonde's work and turn it in as her own if Arizona didn't stop trying to distract her with sex. Then she'd let it slip that when Joanne didn't understand something, she would manage to trick Arizona into doing it for her. And of course because Arizona had wanted to help her girlfriend, she had.

Seeing that one route of attack had failed, she tried for another, "Did the Colonel kick you out of the house already? He was a real stickler for rules; don't take offense, not everyone has what it takes to win him over."

"Yeah, I'm sure _Daniel_ really loved the way you treated his daughter like a piece of crap. I bet that really stole his heart. You know what? I'm not going to dance around this – I have very rarely in my life felt so strongly enough about another person as to say that I hated them. But, god, you are the closest to the scum of the Earth I think I've ever encountered," feeling herself get revved up, her arms crossed over her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding, "I hate you for cheating on Arizona. I hate you for telling her she wasn't enough. I hate you for playing her for years. I even hate you for hurting both her and her brother in one fell swoop. You put her through hell –"

"Hey!" Joanne protested, shoving her hand at Callie's face, over her mouth, to stop her from talking anymore, "I loved her! You don't know the whole story. You don't know what was going on for me that whole time, so don't come in here and act all high and mighty like you would never do that to someone –"

Slapping her hand out, she took a hold of the slim wrist and jerked it down before letting it go with a throw, "First of all, _don't_ put your hands on me. Ever. And second of all, don't pull that bullshit sob story on me, because you didn't love her! Maybe she was good for your ego. Or, or maybe she made you feel better about your miserable life, but you didn't love her, because you don't destroy the person that you love!"

The words ripped from her throat, viciously, and she had never before felt this kind of rage. Even when she had confronted Izzie after the whole debacle with George, she didn't feel this kind of fury. Because this wasn't about her and her own feelings, this was about Arizona's. And Arizona was tough, which she loved about her, but underneath that exterior, she was the sweetest person in the world. And this _woman _standing in front of her had taken that sweetness and practically beat it right out of her.

Joanne looked like she'd been slapped, "You don't know! You don't know anything about my relationship with Arizona, so stop saying anything about it. You don't know how I felt."

Seeing red. She felt like she understood that saying now, as she could hardly see straight, "Obviously not, but I do know how you _should_ have felt; you _should_ have felt like you would rather hurt yourself than Arizona. You _should_ have felt like deliberately causing her pain – cheating on her, using her, talking down to her – was impossible. But clearly, you didn't. You know what? It's a good thing she found out who you truly are, because now, she has me. And I treat her the way you weren't even capable of."

The redhead stepped even closer, so close that Callie could feel her body heat, and she whispered in the most malicious tone she'd ever heard in her entire life, "You might _think_ Arizona is yours. You might feel that way. She might even feel that way. For now. But she is mine; she always has been and she always will be. One way or another, she will always come crawling back."

Her hands dug into their hold on her arms, and she had to fight herself to keep control, "I'm just going to say this once to your face so you can understand: I know you, Joanne. I know girls just like you. Girls who get what they want so easily and it's never enough. Girls who use and cheat and lie because they can, and you will never change. Arizona told me that I was too good to be in your presence, but the truth is _she_ is the one who is too good for you. She's always been too good for you, and she always will be. And the best thing, the thing that is absolutely eating you up inside? Is that you know that she is never going to go back to you." Before she would do something that Arizona would want her to rise above, she took a step back and turned away. She had to get back inside that house, like now.

Then she stumbled forward as hands pushed her from behind. Recovering from the trip, she swung back around, unable to turn away now. Joanne seemed surprised when she reached out and shoved her back, and she smiled in response, her own predatory smile, "You think that's enough to send me running away? Think again. Arizona is too nice to lay you out, even verbally, but I'm not."

"It must be the Mexican in you," that condescending voice shot back, and Callie shoved her back one more time, this time harder, watching as Joanne tripped backwards, falling hard on the ground. For a moment, she remained on the grass, and Callie was going to be done.

"Really, resulting to racist comments? Are you kidding me? You really are _nothing_," she spat out. Done. She was so done with this – this _bitch_.

And then Joanne sprung up, her hand coming up so quickly Callie didn't even have a though to block it, as it made stinging contact with her face. Her lip throbbed, and for just a second, her vision blurred, but that was _it_. The very last tether she'd managed to keep on her control to reign herself in snapped.

Her hands shot out, one grabbing a handful of the black jacket adorning that skinny body, hauling her forward as if she weighed nothing. Breath already laboring from the sheer anger pumping through her, "I'll give you this – you're stronger than you look." Making a tight fist with her other hand, she brought it up and crashed it into her face.

Her hand throbbed lightly in response, but the contact as so satisfying. As was hearing the yelp that came from that mouth, and, as she let her grip on her go, the way her body crouched down, both hands covering over her zygomatic bone, right under her eye. Narrowing her eyes, she growled, "And I'm not Mexican. I'm Cuban."

Spinning on her heel to go back into the house, she froze, seeing Arizona's dad standing on the porch. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows drawn into that measuring look that she thought she'd managed to get rid of earlier this morning. Damn it, she cursed herself and her stupid temper.

Then again, she wasn't sure what she would choose – if she had the opportunity to punch Joanne in the face again, despite knowing she would lose some brownie points with the Colonel, she just might do it. He was about honor and rising above. Even though he didn't like his daughter's ex-girlfriend, she was sure he didn't support her socking her right outside of their house on a Monday morning.

Unfreezing, she turned just a bit to see Joanne push herself up and scamper off to her own house, hands still over her face. Then she put her own head down – maybe now she was going to get her own lecture. Where did this put her in his eyes? He was still staring at her with that look; and he also looked kind of shocked, too.

Words, those awkward, nervous kind, started to bubble out from her throat, out of her control, as she walked toward him, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to cause a scene, right outside of your house. And I'm not usually like that, I swear, I haven't gotten into a physical fight with anyone since high school. I just couldn't… I'm sorry."

As soon as she was close enough, he reached out, taking a light hold on her chin, his voice gruff, "Follow me," as he let her go.

So she did. Back into the house, he led her into the downstairs bathroom, gesturing for her to sit on the closed toilet lid. She didn't talk again, because she didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he wanted from her. It wasn't until he ran a wash cloth under some cool water and then pressed it to her lip did she register the pain that was still there.

He drew it away, and she saw blood on it as he grimaced, "I'm sorry. I'm not nearly as good at handling cuts as my wife is, but… she slapped you pretty hard."

Looking down, she accepted the cloth from his offering hand and pressed it to her own mouth, speaking muffled, "I know. I was surprised."

When he barked out a laugh, her gaze whipped up to him, shocked, "I was surprised, too."

Trying to read him, she smiled just a bit, wincing as it stretched her split lip, "I… I know it's not an excuse, Colonel, but she shoved me. I should have walked away after that, but I lost my temper. And I know we don't know each other all that well yet, but I just – you should know that it takes a lot for my temper to get that far."

His eyebrows drew down and he nodded, as he messily dumped some antiseptic on a Q-tip over the sink, looking awkward with his large hands daintily holding it, "I was out there to see quite a bit. She insulted both my daughter and you, and you did attempt to walk away, which I respect. I might be a marine, Callie, but I do not condone violence in my family, at my home."

Here it was, she thought, and she looked back down, "I understand, sir."

His hands reached down, getting her to look back up at him, running the Q-tip over her lip. Flinching against the sting, she held still until he was done swabbing. When he pulled back and threw it in the trash, he started to speak again, "That being said, and you can never tell my wife this, but seeing you punch Joanne like that – purely as a father – gave me a sense of satisfaction I've never felt before. I'm glad my Bug has never resorted to any sort of measure of violence, but… knowing that she has someone who is going to take a stand up like that on her behalf is something I do like."

Smiling again in spite of the pain, she watched as he leaned over the sink to wash his hands, "I think you might be something like your daughter, sir. You are a tough, hard man. But you are also very sweet."

Leaning over, she kissed his cheek, the same way she'd kissed her dad's cheek so many times over the years. Drawing back, she could see the way his cheeks reddened, "I – well, I – you can still call me Daniel."

He shut off the sink, and she could see how red in the face he still was – hearing his daughter talk about her sex and life seeing her girlfriend punch her ex-girlfriend in the face was probably not what he experienced most mornings, "Thank you. And thank you for tending to my lip."

Broad shoulders shrugged, and he cleared his throat, "My wife or daughter could have done a better job." Drying his hands, he reached down and picked up the keys he'd put down back up, before hesitating, "I didn't expect this, but… you and Bug can… you can sleep in Bug's room." Then he fixed her with a hard stare, "I'm trusting you, Callie. I like what I've seen of you this morning, and I usually have good instincts about people. So, I'm trusting you."

Swallowing hard, she nodded, "Understood."

He nodded, then turned and left, taking the path they just came in from, out the door. Standing in place for a moment, looking in the mirror – her lip wasn't _that_ bad, but it still hurt – she thought about how incredibly surreal her morning had been. This was definitely not the way she thought she would kick off her stay with the Robbins.

And yet, she couldn't exactly say that she hated how it had turned out so far. In fact, it was going surprisingly well. Except now, she had to go show her girlfriend, who was crazy protective, her split lip. Hearing footsteps above her head on the second floor, she looked up. Here goes nothing.

* * *

Arizona rolled her eyes _now_ in response to her father's lecture that she'd just finished getting downstairs. She understood that she shouldn't have, as he said, proclaimed her desired sexual activities for the morning as she walked into the house. But it wasn't a matter of disrespect to her parents – it was a matter of wanting desperately to fuck her girlfriend.

Hearing a car start, she walked to the small window and peered out, looking down at the front of the house, seeing her dad's black truck pull out of the driveway and start down the street. Where exactly did her girlfriend go to? She frowned, looking around the front yard and not seeing her anywhere despite her claims that she was going to be "just outside."

Then she grinned, hearing feet come up the stairs. Her father was gone, the lecture was over, and they could finally get her morning sexy time with her incredible girlfriend.

She had just pulled down her short shorts, leaving her in only the spandex runners that went mid-thigh and her sports bra as the bathroom door opened. Callie's husky voice sent shivers down her spine, "Arizona –"

Spinning around, biting her lip in the way that Callie had told her – after nipping at it, then lapping at the nip for moments before repeating the process one night – she couldn't resist, she was about to extend a formal invitation to join her in the shower – must more respectable that way.

Except then she saw the blood stained cloth being held against her mouth, her heart stopped beating. Running forward, then tripping over her shed clothes on the ground, she practically fell into tan arms. Quickly pushing herself up, she gently drew down Callie's hand and gasped at the cut on her lip, "Calliope! Baby, what happened?"

"I... well, when I was outside, Joanne and I had a little thing, and it ended in blows. You should have seen the other guy," she joked, and her normally megawatt smile was slightly lopsided as she grimaced.

Arizona was not amused, and she took the cloth from Callie's hands, resting it over the lip of the sink and lifting her hands to cup her girlfriend's face. She was going to be a _doctor_; she'd done all of the mandatory rounds and classes in patient care at different hospitals. She'd observed surgeries. Nothing had ever made her feel panic the way blood on Callie was making her panic.

_Joanne_, she thought with a shudder, "I'm going to kill her."

She couldn't just hit Callie hard enough to split her lip and expect to get away with it. Absolutely no way. Saying as much out loud, she started for the door. Joanne had pushed her around – metaphorically – for years. Hurting her. And she could take it and bounce back. But physically hurting her woman was… no. Not okay.

But soft hands reached for hers before she could get a step away, and pulled her back in, "Arizona, it's okay. I, um, I punched her myself. In _your_ defense, and in my own. But I think now, we should both just leave her behind. Joanne is a thing of the past."

Letting out a deep breath, she pressed her forehead against the tan forehead, whispering through a small laugh, "You protect me; I protect you."

"I think that's how it works," Callie's breath washed against her lips, prompting her to lightly press hers forward, a feather light touch over the angry red spot on that luscious bottom lip.

Pulling back slightly, she leaned back in, barely touching her lips against the spot again, "I really, really don't like when you get hurt."

That smile flashed again, "I think I've figured that out by now."

Stepping back, she grabbed Callie's hand, "Want to take a shower with me now? My dad is absolutely gone. And I think you need to let yourself be pampered a little," she smiled, going back in to flutter her lips around her girlfriends, mumbling against her skin, "Your lip needs a little rest. Mine will do all of the work," she promised, the heat that had been building in her since last night, then again earlier this morning returning, coiling low in her stomach.

Callie moaned, "Your dad trusts me, now."

Taking that hand in hers, she pulled backwards, toward the shower, "My dad's gone. What he doesn't know won't hurt him," and she felt that familiar rush through her body as Callie walked with her, her hands reaching down to the bottom of her shirt, gripping, ready to pull it up.

And then they heard the front door open from downstairs, her mother's voice calling out from below, "Arizona? Girls? Daniel called me and told me there was some sort of scuffle?"

Letting out a loud groan, it was all she could do to keep from stomping her foot against the floor in frustration, and Callie let out a shuttering breath, "I'll go talk to your mom. You shower," her voice was that low tone that it always took on when she was aroused, which just made Arizona want her even more, especially as a long tan finger slid under the strap of the fabric, swiping back and forth over her skin.

As she pulled away, she walked toward the door, and Arizona watched, mouth dry, as those damn hips swung in a teasing manner. Callie Torres might just be the death of her – whether she scared her to death or made her so crazy from desire she exploded – but either way, she was sure she would die happy.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter - I too love writing about the Colonel, and I like to write Joanne scenes, too. Though, she's retired from the story (at least for now). You guys are awesome, and, as always, thank you for reading!**


	25. The Quiet Game

Callie lay in Tim's bed, her hands holding a dead grip on the comforter under her hands. It was her fifth night now in the Robbins house, and after the first night of getting caught sleeping in her girlfriend's bed, she'd kept the information of Daniel's allowance of her to sleep in Arizona's room with her to herself.

Because, to be completely honest, she wasn't sure if she could control herself into "just cuddling," despite her own rules about keeping things abstinent during their visit. She loved sex. She had _always_ loved sex, but before, when she'd stayed at boyfriend's houses, she'd managed to keep herself under control.

Then there were these two other factors to consider: the two times she'd spent overnight visits to boyfriends' houses had been for less than a week each, and then there was that whole thing where Arizona Robbins was the best sex she's ever had.

Why had she even thought they would be able to keep to this whole no sex thing? In the last seven months, they had proven to be _the opposite_ of good at keeping their hands off of each other. Very bad at it, really.

But Arizona's parents _trusted_ her to not be having sex with their daughter. Daniel, who she was more comfortable with now, trusted her to let him have as virtuous an image of her girlfriend as possible. She wanted to allow him to keep that image of her in his head; she really did.

Then again, she really – really – wanted to have Arizona under her hands. To feel her skin under her palms, to run her lips over her softness. To taste her – "Ugh!" she groaned, her hands coming up to cover her face while she could feel her wetness between her legs.

She was breaking. Five days in, and she broke, she thought, grumbling at herself, even as she threw back the covers. Swinging her feet over the edge, she walked briskly to the door. It was well past midnight, and she knew for a fact that both Robbins parents were asleep, and she did not have the patience to be slow right now. Right now, all she wanted was Arizona.

The quick trip to the blonde's bedroom was a blur, and as she opened the door, she tiptoed in. Arizona was laying on her side, her back facing Callie. The moonlight slating in through the windows highlighted her in a milky blue light, making the blonde waves cascading over her pillow look almost ethereal.

Gorgeous.

On her way to the bed, she pulled off her shirt and kicked off her shorts so they fell off her legs just as she pulled down the covers. Swallowing hard, seeing how Arizona's shirt had risen, revealing her back, up to her abdomen, bunching just below her breasts made her wonder how in the world she'd held out for so long.

Sliding into bed, she ran her hand along the arch of the back that was revealed to her, her hands loving the feel of that impossibly soft skin. She could feel each vertebra under her fingertips, and she rubbed a little harder against them; bones were just so… she didn't know why she loved them so much, but they spoke to her.

Arizona had asked her once, as she'd pushed the blonde onto her back and lifted her shirt a few weeks ago to drift her hands over the ribs that she could make out when Arizona's stomach concaved when she was lying down, kissing over them, why she spent so much time on the bones. She just couldn't help her. Bones just got to her, and her girlfriend's bones got to her than much more.

Running her hands down, she lightly pressed her thumbs into the dimples at the base of her back. Arizona had such amazing dimples. Moving her thumbs around in a circle, she massaged the skin under her hands, Arizona's back slightly arching into her touch, and soon her soft, even breathing was broken. Such a light sleeper.

Which was so, so good, she thought, smiling as her girlfriend didn't move, simply sighed into her touch, her voice heavy with sleep, "Calliope?"

Noticing the questioning tone, she raised an eyebrow and slowly slid her hand over the hip, and down, spreading it over her stomach, the warmth of her skin under her hand making her ache even more, "Were you expecting someone else in your bed?" she whispered.

Slowly waking up, she responded, "Well, no, but with you and your damn self-control, I didn't expect you to be –" rolling over, her eyes met the most incredible sight, her throat going dry, body instantly awake with an intense throbbing starting between her legs.

She wouldn't be able to say for sure, but she was pretty positive that being woken up to a very naked Callie Torres in her bed was probably the most glorious thing. In the world. The universe. Her eyes traveled down to those amazing breasts, with dark nipples already tight. Four long, long days, she thought, licking her lips, unable to bring her eyes back to those dark brown ones.

Callie leaned over her, her boobs swinging just enough that Arizona was immediately drenched – not like it was difficult, seeing as though she'd been horny for her girlfriend for days, and her husky voice whispered right into her ear, "I couldn't wait anymore. You were right; I can't go for two weeks without touching you. Feeling you touch me."

Her words spurred Arizona's hands into action, as if they had a mind of their own, they lifted from where they rested on her mattress to cup that weight in her hands. Her fingers automatically went to taut tips, pinching, watching as Callie's eyes closed, and her head was thrown back, a moan leaving her throat.

Sliding her hands down to grip caramel hips that could move in a way she could – and did – only dream about, she managed to flip them, despite the small size of her bed. Sitting up on her knees, she looked down at that body.

Her chest was already moving up and down rapidly, and blue eyes were transfixed for long moments just watching. Pale hands traced up, loving the contrast between skin tones, over a soft stomach. Looking lower, she dragged her hands down, pulling apart thighs, already able to see wetness on those lips.

Clenching her thighs together – sometimes she thought she might be able to come just by staring at her – she brought her eyes back to Callie, who was watching her with already hooded eyes. Feeling a small smile on her face, she fell forward, bracing herself on her hands on either side of the Latina's head, "You caved," she mumbled, dipping her head lower, kissing the side of Callie's mouth that wasn't cut.

That damn cut. Every time she saw it, she thought of Joanne. And how much she absolutely wanted to murder her. Not only that, but it was also stopping she and her girlfriend from being able to properly make out. And had done so for the past five days.

So she ran her lips lightly over Callie's full ones, brushing along the bottom one softly, barely touching as she got to the cut, just pressing her tongue against it in the lightest of touches. "My million dollar baby," she whispered, grinning.

Callie barked out a laugh, only for Arizona to lift her head away quickly, looking over her shoulder, "Shh!" she warned, "My parents are both light sleepers. Lighter than I am."

Closing her eyes tightly, she ran her hands up to rest on Arizona's waist, "You tell me that now that I'm naked in your bed. But not in the last few days that you've been trying to get me here!" she stuck out her tongue, then groaned as her girlfriend instantly had her head back down, lips wrapping about her tongue, pulling it into her mouth, then teeth nipping in lightly.

Her hips bucked against her girlfriend's, the sensations that her mouth could cause simply against her own were too fucking good to be true. Too soon, that warm mouth had pulled back again, and Arizona's voice was quiet in her ear, "Baby, you're going to have to be really quiet."

She was going to say that she definitely could do that, when slim hips rocked down, her girlfriend's still clothed center dragging against hers, a moan ripping from her throat before she could stop it. Her eyes flipped open to see blue eyes looking down in her with mock disappointment, "Calliope, I said quiet!" she said in a harsh whisper.

"You surprised me. I wasn't ready; I'll do better," she promised, her heart already pounding to need to have Arizona make her come starting to take over. Preparing herself, she brought her arms around to the blonde's firm ass, pulling her down again, rocking her hips up, pressing herself against the warm center she could feel through the clothes. A similar moan wanted to tear from her throat, but she kept her mouth closed tightly, proud of herself for holding in any sounds that wanted to escape while the pleasure ripped through her body, her core clenching.

Arizona took advantage of this new position, and thrust her hips a few more times, as small gasp falling from her lips while Callie's own mouth fell open, ragged breaths breaking into the air, "I – wait – I don't want to… so soon."

Because she could come so soon, and would. Arizona looked down at her, blue eyes dark and her arousal so clear, just the thought of how wet she knew the blonde would be set her on edge, and her voice broke in whispers, "That's too bad. I want you to come – I want to make you come, now, just not like this. I've wanted to taste you since the first night here."

Pink lips suddenly enveloped her nipple, tongue running in circles, while one of her hands came up to twist Callie's other one. Arching her back, pushing her chest firmer into Arizona's touch, a whimper fell from her lips. With just the right amount of pressure, she was going to come. Just like this.

But then that mouth was gone, kissing her way down her stomach, making her tingle in anticipation. She was expecting them to wrap around her clit and suck in just that way that her girlfriend knew how to do, but when she felt just a light scraping of teeth against her lips, she jerked, a groan falling from her mouth.

That mouth was off of her in a heartbeat, "Shh!"

"I – I…" she wanted to defend herself. But there really were no words her mind could form that would make human sense, besides, "More."

A sexy smirk took over Arizona's features, and she reached up, taking a pillow and giving it to Callie, who readily took it, and held it tightly over her face. Anything to get the blonde back to, "Fuck!" she exclaimed into the pillow, as a firm tongue pushed into her, her center clenching around it.

Arizona started a rhythm with her tongue, thrusting in and out, and Callie continued to curse into the pillow, because _fuck_ it was so good. Great. Amazing. Incredible. Shivers erupted over her skin as her tongue disappeared and two fingers were pressed deep inside of her. And then didn't move, even as they pressed in so deep…

Shuddering, she managed to shift the pillow upwards with weak arms, her voice a broken whisper, "Arizo-ooooh god, what... please? Move. I'm – I'm –"

The lips pushed against her thigh in a soft kiss, "You're close. I can feel you clenching around my fingers already, baby. But not yet. Just wait. Not yet."

She needed to come; her body was drawn so tight she felt that she might just break right open. Trying to wiggle her hips to gain some friction, her efforts were stopped by a firm hold of Arizona's hand pushing on her pelvis.

"Please," the word burst from her lips, loudly, and she forced one hand to shove the pillow down right over her mouth.

Then all at once, those fingers inside of her put on a burst of motion, working in and out furiously, while a tongue flicked over her clit in a rapid motion, making her universe splinter outwards. The hand that wasn't holding a death grip on the pillow reached down and grabbed a fistful of blonde hair and thighs wrapped around her head, to hold her in place while her entire world flipped on its axis.

And still Arizona didn't stop. Quicker than she'd thought was possible for herself, her stomach tingled and toes curled within minutes of her first orgasm. Shuddering as she came down once more, she couldn't stop as those fingers lightly rubbed inside of her, and her tongue lapped up all of the juices she had to give.

After long last, Arizona crawled back up her body, hands ripping the pillow away from her face, lips crashing down onto hers. Tasting herself on her girlfriend's lips was the second best taste in the world, only second to Arizona herself on her lips, and she moaned into the kiss, flinching just a bit at the pain as teeth scraped against her bottom lip.

But the blonde felt the flinch, and drew back, breathing hard, "Your lip – I forgot. I just had to – to –" with a groan, she dropped her head to Callie's shoulder, simultaneously collapsing on top of her.

Callie mustered enough strength to bring up her hands to scratch them over her girlfriend's slim sides. "Sweetie, it's fine. It barely hurt – I wanted to taste you, too," she whispered, her nails inching up, against the sides of her breasts, loving how she could see the goosebumps appear under her hands.

Shifting their lower bodies just a bit, she managed to slip her thigh between Arizona's both of them gasping, as she was met with an abundance of moisture, feeling it through the cotton shorts. Sliding her hands down again, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of both shorts and underwear, dragging them down using her own feet, both she and her girlfriend working to kick them away.

Putting her leg back into place, her skin was immediately soaked, while Arizona's hips worked against her. "Now _you_ wait," she ordered against Arizona's ear, as her girlfriend's laboring breath against her neck sent shivers down her spine.

"Can't," came the grunted response, hips picking up speed, but losing friction against the tan skin the most she thrust against it.

She bent her leg at the knee, pushing up hard against the blonde's core, her own eyes rolling back as she felt burned by the heat, while Arizona froze, her hands shooting to grip Callie's hips. "Jesus," she breathed out, her body trembling.

She worked quickly, knowing how close the blonde was already, and that her great attempt at getting her to stop working herself against her thigh might have worked well, but she could feel Arizona's clit pulsing against her hip bone. Working her hands between then, sliding over their sweat-covered stomachs, she easily slipped two fingers into Arizona, whose teeth bit into her neck.

Hooking her fingers and rubbing them without really pushing in and out, she managed to rub the base of her palm against her girlfriend's throbbing clit. Her entire hand was covered in her wetness within moments, and her other hand reached up to sweep back a mess of damp blonde hair, whispering into her skin, "You are so fucking wet for me."

"Uh huh," Arizona grunted, not lifting her mouth, her hips working rapidly against her hand, grinding against her.

Callie pushed in deeper, her head falling back, "I don't think I've ever been this deep inside you." Her fingers continued to pump in shallow, quick movements, dragging her fingertips against her walls, feeling them start to contract already.

"Uh uh," she moaned into her skin, teeth biting in harder before releasing, throwing her head back, "Calliope! I'm –"

Bringing her hand up, she clamped it around the blonde's neck, pushing her face back down to where it was, groaning as her teeth dug back into her skin, feeling Arizona clamp around her, holding her fingers inside while she pulsed around her.

Later, she wasn't exactly sure when, all of the tension leaked out of the blonde's body, melting into Callie's, while she pulled her fingers out. Making quick work of licking them clean, she brought both of her hands to smooth down Arizona's back, "I love when I can make you come that fast."

Still catching her breath, she shuddered, "Believe me, I was holding on as long as possible. I've been ready for that for almost a week."

Laughing, she wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist as she slid sideways, cuddling into her, "I have to confess something to you… your dad told me I was allowed to sleep in here days ago."

A blonde head whipped up, "What?! Are you kidding me? Why have you been sleeping in Tim's room? I've been lonely," she pouted, tucking her head back against that caramel skin.

Reaching down, she pulled up the sheet over them, then brought her hand down to rest on Arizona's thigh, tracing light patterns, "Because when your dad gave me permission, he gave me this look that said he totally knew we were going to have sex but that we still shouldn't be even though we were allowed to sleep in the same bed." Sighing heavily, she shook her head, "So I was trying to make us both a little more virtuous because obviously, if we tried to sleep in the same bed after not having sex for five days, we definitely were going to end up… but my plan backfired because I ended up in here tonight, anyway."

The blonde slung her arm over her waist, "I would be mad, Calliope, believe me. I would be really mad that we could have been having sex and cuddling every night, but because I'm feeling very mellowed out right now, I'm not. Consider yourself lucky."

Looking down at her, seeing how absolutely beautiful she was, and remembering the back to back orgasms she's received very recently, she yawned, stroking her hand that wasn't against a toned thigh up and down her back, "I do consider myself lucky. Very lucky."

She hmm'd against her skin, "Me, too." Then her hand came up to hit Callie's shoulder, "And, Calliope, _you_ were so loud when I made you come! That pillow did nothing to muffle any of your squeals and your whimpers. I'm surprised my parents aren't wide awake right now."

Mouth falling open, she looked down, "Me? You were the one who screamed my name!"

"I did not!" Blue eyes flashed up to hers, her hand tickling into Callie's side, making her giggle.

But she was still maintaining her side of the argument, even through her laughing, "You definitely did. How do you not remember that? You literally screamed into the air "Calliope!" until I pushed your head down again." There was no way she could make up that scream, that high-pitched, gasping call of her name in complete abandon.

Huffing out her breath, she dropped her head back down, eyes drooping with tiredness, "Fine. I did scream your name. But can you blame me? It was – you were – I was. Hmm," she finished with a sated hum, the tone revealing how close to sleep she really was.

Callie felt sleep fog her own mind, closing her eyes and turning her body slightly more into Arizona's, so their stomachs rubbed softly together, "I think we're both to blame if we were really that loud at all. Which I doubt we were. Probably not loud at all." No, really, they were both pretty bad at the quiet game.

"Sure," Arizona's voice came, soft and sweet, in a tone she spoke in just before she drifted off. Tightening her arm around her waist, she closed her eyes, too.

Only to feel like she was snapping them open minutes later – but what must have been hours later, given the sunlight streaming in through the shades. Arizona had just shot up into a sitting position, unceremoniously ripping herself from Callie's arms, wide blue eyes alarmed.

It took Callie a few seconds to get her bearings, but then she heard what Arizona did. The knocking on her bedroom door, Barbara's voice coming in loud and clear, "Yes, _Daniel_, I'm going to go downstairs to make breakfast in just a moment, thank you for the coffee. Yes, I'm sure Arizona would appreciate a cup for when you go to wake her up!" she exclaimed, clearly exaggerated for their benefit.

Arizona – who's hair was a knotted mess, much more so from just sleep, but also from the way Callie's hands had run through it last night, gripping and pulling. Sex hair. Straight up sex hair. Hearing heavy footsteps, Colonel footsteps, Callie had come to realize, start up the bottom of the stairs, she dove off the edge of Arizona's bed while Arizona leapt off, running for where Callie's oversized T-shirt was, discarded near the door, slipping it on, then snatching up the Latina's shorts and pulling them up her legs in a hurry, jumping back into bed and pulling up the covers.

While Callie, as the Colonel's feet came closer, ducked down, falling to the floor and pulling herself under the blonde's bed. She was laying naked, under Arizona's bed, hiding from her father. Biting back a laugh, her eyes widened as she saw the last piece of clothing Arizona had missed – her own shorts and underwear kicked off in a tangle near the foot of the bed.

Her hand reached out and grabbed them, pulling them back into her hiding spot while the door opened after a gentle knock, and impeccably clean sneakers walked into her vision, while Daniel's voice said in his cheerful morning-person tone, "Bug! You're already up."

Arizona's heart beat erratically in her chest, and she thought this might be a situation other people experienced in their teenage years, but when she was in her teenage years, there was no way she would ever rebel against her father's rules enough as to fall asleep naked in bed with her girlfriend. Her smile was quick and she feigned a yawn, because after being woken up to her mother's – thank _god_ – warning knock, she nodded, "Uh, yeah, just woke up a few seconds ago."

Callie was hiding stark naked under her bed. Her girlfriend was naked in the same room as her father. Oh my fucking god, she thought, her cheeks turning bright pink. The Colonel noticed of course, because he noticed _everything_, "Are you feeling all right?"

Swallowing hard once, then twice, her eyes shifted back and forth around her room, making her focal point the TLC cd she had jammed out to many times as a teenager, then wandering around and landing back on it. She had never been that great at lying, and really not that good at lying to her dad, "I'm, yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

He regarded her suspiciously, "I don't know… Where's Callie? She wasn't in Tim's room," he said, but thankfully his voice wasn't holding that _knowing_ tone.

Holding her breath a little, her head yelled _under my bed! Because we had really great sex last night!_, but she managed to nod her head toward the bathroom, "Um, taking a shower." Then they were both quiet for a moment, hearing no water, and she blushed again, "I… that is, she's probably still getting ready to climb into the shower."

Lifting his eyebrows, he nodded, "Okay, well, I need some help out in the tool shed, which is why I'm waking you up. Maybe while Callie's in the shower you could help?" he offered her a mug of coffee – her favorite mug – which she took, her hands shaking slightly.

Too quickly, she really just wanted him to get out, she agreed, "Yeah! Absolutely. Just let me get ready and I'll be down in a minute."

He gave her a smile, patting down her outrageous hair, "You're the best, Bug. Oh, and your mom is about to start breakfast, so make sure you let Callie know that it'll be ready soon or if she wants to help. That girl does like to cook," he said, grinning.

Relieved as he started to walk to the door, she nodded, and smiled her best dimpled, I'm-your-innocent-daughter-smile, "She does. Super, will do."

Finally, when he was gone, she and Callie were on the same page without even speaking that they needed to wait for his footsteps to go back down stairs before she quickly set aside her mug, and Callie popped back out from under her bed, shaking in laughter.

She even felt some of her anxiety melt away, about to start laughing herself when she noticed her girlfriend's neck, "Holy crap!" she reached out, drawing her closer, so she could look closer. She'd left a bite mark the size of Texas last night, trying to muffle herself.

Callie's own hand came up to her neck, "What? What's going on?"

"I can't believe I did that to you!" she exclaimed. She could _see_ her teeth marks in the skin; she couldn't believe she hadn't broken the skin. Running her thumb lightly over the bruise, she mumbled, "I practically mauled you. Why didn't you say anything?"

The Latina stood, taking Arizona's sheet with her and wrapping it around her body as she walked toward the mirror. Her mouth fell open at her reflection, "What the hell? I didn't even… I mean, I felt it, but it felt good! Arizona, this is… a monster. I can wear my purple shirt to cover up most of it, but it's still going to be visible. Your parents are going to think I got attacked by a vampire or some shit."

Feeling a small laugh, she got up and walked behind her, pressing her lips super lightly against the mark, "I'm sorry." Drawing back just a bit, she took in Callie's split lip, then the dark bruise on her neck, "You really do look like you might have gone a few rounds with the champ."

Dark eyes narrowed, "I can see that."

Giggling, she tilted up her chin, "Do you want to bite me back? Payback?"

Instead, Callie brought up her hand and lightly pinched her before clasping the sheet around her like a toga, "No, sweetie, you know what? Your parents can see this and it's going to be embarrassing but at least they know for sure that you're the woman who can't control herself in this relationship. They'll know that their daughter's girlfriend isn't the sexual deviant in our relationship."

Blushing, she lifted an eyebrow, "Well, who snuck into whose bedroom earlier this morning? Hmm, Calliope?"

Crossing her arms, she scrunched up her nose, "I'm banking on the fact that you aren't going to go downstairs and tell your parents that fun fact."

And she was absolutely correct, Arizona sighed, then looked at herself in the mirror, laughing once more, "I put your shorts on backwards."

Callie's laugh joined hers, "Good thing your dad didn't notice. And I have to get in that shower. I've been prepping for a while," she added, then reached her hand out to tap against her butt, "And you have to go out to the tool shed."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, looking once more at Callie's neck, then again at her shorts. They were quite a pair, she thought with a smile.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I'm thinking there will be one more chapter with the Robbins, because I really enjoy writing with them. Thank you for reading!**


	26. Won Over

She really didn't know how she was going to hide the giant hickey from Arizona's parents. Barbara was downstairs, waiting for her, and she couldn't leave the bathroom because of this huge bite her girlfriend had left on her. The thing really was like she was mauled. By her girlfriend's teeth. While she felt her clench around her fingers.

Okay, so she couldn't bring herself to _actually_ be mad about the mark on her skin. But as much as she'd teased Arizona earlier about how she would just act like it was nothing around her parents, there was no way she could just walk down there like this.

Except, she had to. Because she hadn't brought cover-up for this – she hadn't thought this would be an issue – and any makeup that there would be in this house would stand out against her skin tone in an even more obvious way than this did. If that was even possible.

Sighing, she pulled forward the purple shirt she'd mentioned, sliding it along the bruise so it covered about half of it, and in the process revealed just a bit more cleavage than was appropriate. Pulling the shirt back, she brought her hair to rest over her shoulders, in a style that wasn't her usual, but if she moved in just the right way, it would remain covered.

This was as good as it was going to get.

Following the sounds in the kitchen downstairs, she ran her hand along the bannister. Barbara already had breakfast underfoot, bacon cooking, in the process of scrambling eggs. Clearing her throat to make her presence known, the older woman looked up at her and grinned, "Callie! Good morning."

"Morning," she smiled back, and walked toward her, standing on the opposite side of the counter.

The other morning, the morning of the fight, she thought she had lost major points with her girlfriend's mother by her fight with Joanne. Arizona had told her before the visit that her mother discouraged violence of any kind… even verbally. And then there was that whole thing where Daniel had told her not to tell his wife that he thought she had done good by hitting her, so she just assumed.

But Barbara had sat her down, pressing an ice pack to her lip, and observed her with her hands on her hips for a few long moments, before asking, "What exactly happened?"

So, Callie recounted the incident, as word for word as she could remember, then the physical description. And she waited for the disapproving look that she'd heard was famous from her girlfriend's mother, but it never came. Instead, she'd sat on the stool next to Callie's and whispered indulgently, "Don't tell my daughter or husband… but I'm a little glad Joanne Harrison finally got what she deserved. And the comment she made about your race – the ignorance!"

It seemed that the parents Robbins did dislike violence, and liked to maintain those rules in front of their children, regardless of what age they were at. But even they had their limits. And she liked knowing that their limits were pushed by making allowances for their children.

Callie's own mother had been very much against violence in anyway. She was an intellectual, she would say quite frequently, and she fought with her mind and her words. Not with her hands. Throughout Callie's time at prep school, she's been made fun of – she was weird. She would admit that, now. Sitting in the back of class, chewing on her hair out brought on by the anxiety of being around all of her peers, taking copious "nerdy" notes.

And that weirdness brought on teasing. High school girls – and boys, too – were rude and arrogant and cruel. Especially high school girls in Miami who were hot enough to be cover girls whose families were so rich that they were spoiled brats. _Years_ of bullying, and she had hardly stuck up for herself.

Until she came home with a split lip – one that was kind of reminiscent of Joanne's, only that one had hurt a lot more – at age sixteen. From Veronica Buchanan, she remembered clearly, a brunette with a fake tan who had always picked on her. And then her parents fought over Callie's right to defend herself. Her father, who was extremely aggressive, won because her mom had bent.

She learned how to properly throw a punch, and block a swing she saw coming. But she was still just… pathetic Callie Torres. It took another few months before that Veronica who had hit her before tried to do it again. And when she tried, it was as if Callie's instincts took over; her arm blocked the other girl's open handed slap, and her fist came up as if her mind had no control over it, and she knocked Veronica Buchanan flat on her skinny ass.

And from then on, there was less teasing. Because she was the girl who had knocked Veronica on her ass. She could recall getting in a few scraps after that, just to prove her point. That was _how_ she learned to walk tall. To stand up for herself. So of course getting into fights wasn't the best course of action, she would acknowledge that. But she did think there was a point there fighting had it's benefits.

At the time, her mother had been able to bend for that. Why couldn't she find it in her to bend for her daughter falling in love with a woman?

Barbara's voice took her from her thoughts, while her hand touching lightly to her shoulder made her jump in surprise, "Callie? Where did you go?"

Shaking her head as if that would help her clear her thoughts, she shrugged both shoulders, "What? Nothing. Nowhere. I'm here," she tried to smile past it, but shaped eyebrows just lifted in that way that just demanded she tell her what she was really thinking about, "I just… I thought of my mom real quick. It's not a big deal, I just…" with an eye roll, she shrugged her shoulders again, "If only she was more like you."

"But then she wouldn't be your mother," Barbara poked her finger lightly into her arm with a small smile, "I'm sure whatever it is you're going through with her will pass. You're a great young woman."

"You've only known me for a week," she pointed out, trying to joke, walking forward to take Barbara's place at the counter, finishing the job with the eggs.

But there was no receptive smile on the older woman's face, "Honey, I knew you were something special months ago, before my daughter even realized how much she liked you. A mother knows these things."

Laughing, she lifted an eyebrow at her, "How in the world did you know Arizona liked me months ago? She wouldn't even date me until Christmas!"

Settling into her place at the stove, turning down the burner, the blonde nodded, "When we visited for Thanksgiving, Arizona was just very… not her usual self. She was more the self she was when she was in a relationship. And when we saw you at the restaurant, I saw the way you were looking at her. I might not know every detail of my daughter's love life, Callie, but I do know enough to know that she can be a… difficult person to get to know when her walls are so high. And the way you were looking at her and the way she was looking at you, even though she didn't want to, said a lot to me. Which is how I knew."

Turning to pour the eggs into the skillet and standing next to Barbara, she looked at her face, so set and sure, and she felt an actual smile take over this time, "Well, I'm glad out of me and Arizona, someone was sure of our relationship at that point."

Starting to work on toast, the short woman held up her hand, "The point of me starting to say this was because I wanted you to know that I know you really love my daughter. I can see that you are a good person, and I am an _excellent_ judge of character. Your parents… you don't speak, right?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Though she'd only mentioned to Daniel in passing her relationship with her parents, she'd expected Barbara to know, either from Arizona of him. The Robbins clearly did not keep much from each other. Shaking her head, she looked down, picking up a spatula and moving around the food, "No. Not since last July, anyway."

"Well, I'm going to be the one to tell you, Callie Torres, that they miss you. I know I don't know them, and if I did, I would certainly have a mouthful to say to them. But parents who were such a big part of your life for twenty-four years are definitely missing you. One day, I think they will come around. But if they don't, it will be their loss. I, for one, am very excited to get to know you more," she finished with a dimpled grin.

For some reason, Arizona's mom's words made her feel better than anyone else's sentiments about her parents. Even Aria. Maybe it was because she spoke with such a strong conviction, she managed to make even Callie believe that her words were true. Feeling a warmth creep through her, she let go of the spatula in her hand and pulled Barbara in for a hug, whispering, "Thank you."

She gave mom hugs. And Callie really liked that, she thought, holding tight for a moment before letting go. However, that was her mistake. Upon pulling away, Barbara still was smiling, bracing her hands on the Latina's shoulders, "Now, what are you doing pulling your hair forward like this? You're practically hiding your face, and you have such a beautiful face."

Small hands reached out to tuck her hair behind her shoulders, and her stomach flipped, managing to squeak out a, "No!" but it was too late.

Arizona's mom had already scooped back the raven locks, her eyes widening at the mark on her neck. Callie knew how bad it was. She'd spent a good deal of looking at it in the mirror. Seeing exact tooth marks in her skin – Arizona was absolutely right when she'd wondered how in the world she hadn't broken the skin.

And she was positive that however gruesome she thought her hickey was, for the parent of the perpetrator probably saw it as even worse. Callie was pretty sure it took a lot for Barbara to be embarrassed, but her cheeks tinged pink a bit, and she quickly reached back, pulling thick dark locks back into place, "Well, uh, you should probably keep your hair like that." Lowering her mouth and looking around as if they weren't completely alone in the house, she added, "Do not let Daniel see that."

Nodding dumbly, she patted her hair down. No freaking way would the Colonel see this. She felt… guilty, and the apology came out before she even could think through what she wanted to articulate, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… this is not the best thing… and…"

She waved it off, "It's a hickey; I've seen them before. I mean, it is a doozy, that's for sure. But they happen. I was young once," she patted her shoulder and turned back to the toaster.

Relieved, Callie went back to her job at the stove, relaxing bit by bit until Barbara lightly cleared her throat, "I also just wanted to let you know, you and Arizona should be a bit quieter."

And she dropped the spatula right into the half cooked eggs on the stove, yelping, "What?!" as heat flashed to her cheeks.

As if this was the most natural thing in the world, Barbara slid over, pinching the cooking utensil and pulling it out of the eggs, she pushed them around a bit in the pan, then added, "Last night I woke up, and I'm sure you're aware of what I heard."

She saw her hickey given to Callie by her daughter, and heard them having late night sex, and she still gave Callie that talk about approving of her? Liking her? The brunette stared dumbfounded at her, "I-I'm sorry. I, we, didn't mean. We tried…" she trailed off, completely unsure of how to keep going when she was trying to apologize for having sex with this woman's daughter in her house. Sorry, but we tried to be quiet really didn't seem to cut it. Her stomach was just in this bunch of embarrassed knots.

And yet, her girlfriend's mother – who apparently was the teenager's definition of the coolest parent ever – shrugged, "Sex is a natural part of life, Callie. I understand that you and my daughter engage in sexual activity quite regularly. I'm not forbidding it or trying to frighten or embarrass you; I just want you to know that you two should be a bit more conscientious of your surroundings next time. And, no, Daniel, did not wake up."

Still staring at her, gaping as if she was a fish out of water, Callie stumbled over her words, "I… that's… good."

Laughing a little at her expression, she reached out for the toast that just popped out of the toaster, buttering it lightly before putting more in, "Yes, well, this is in the interest of full disclosure. And always be prepared as if Daniel was going to come in and see you in the bed the next morning, because you never know."

Brown eyes were still wide, unbelieving, "Yes, that's a – a good idea. I, um, thank you for the knock on the door this morning."

Barbara nodded at her, "I figured that would make for the best morning for all parties living in this house right now," she said with a little chuckle, then gestured toward the stove, "Come on, Callie, don't let the eggs burn!"

Dumbly, she turned to get back to her "job." This morning had gotten real awkward. Real fast. For her, anyway, she thought, listening to Barbara's slight humming as she went about setting the table. She hoped Arizona was faring better outside with her father.

* * *

Sweat was already beading on her forehead as she helped her dad lift an old lawn mower out of its designed place in the shed and walked backwards with it, the two of them together managing to break it free into the yard, where her dad intended to work on it and fix it this weekend. Puffing out a breath, her dad lifted a brow at her in an obviously jovial challenge, "Come on, Bug, I thought you worked out!"

As soon as he gave her the go-ahead to let go of said machine, she let it fall to the ground, still gasping for breath, "I – run," she panted, "Not – weights."

Her father – at almost sixty – had lifted an even bigger portion of the mower than she had, his back bent at a semi unpleasant angle in order for them to even reach the machine, and he was standing tall and perfectly in shape right in front of her, "Well, we got it out here together, and that's all that matters."

Nodding, she swiped the arm of the light jacket she was wearing over her forehead, collecting the moisture there. She followed as he gestured for her to follow him back into the tool shed. There was a woodworking station in here that was rarely used, and, as the name revealed, the walls were covered in tools. All different kinds of tools, most of which looked very similar to her.

Her dad set out to gather several of them, gesturing at the ones he needed her to take for him. Following his lead, she was laden down with heavy, heavy tools, when he conversationally remarked, "Callie slept in your bed last night, didn't she?"

Immediately picturing her girlfriend sprawled out naked in front of her, and convinced her dad was a mind reader, her arms felt considerably less strong, and three of the gadgets she had in them bounced to the ground, one landing on her foot. Crying out, she brought it up, clasping it in both hands, while still staring wide eyed at her dad.

What did he know?!

Jumping up and down on her one balancing foot, she knew that her face was bright red, and not just from the lifting of heavy items she was doing, "I… sir, we…"

She _had_ screamed Callie's name, pretty loud. And Callie had some really great moans rolling out of her mouth, too. And by great, she meant they were great to hear any other time but when they were under her parent's roof.

But the Colonel wasn't giving her that _look_ that told her he was going to give her the extended speech on respect like the one she'd received days ago, only this time infused with a sex talk. She'd received it, many years ago, as Tim had. And it was a horrible, awkward, terrifying experience that she never, ever wanted to go through again.

Instead, he looked kind of… amused, dare she say the word was?

Giving her throbbing in pain foot one more quick rub, she dropped it back to the ground, wincing slightly and testing the waters, "Sir, Callie did spend the night with me last night. In my room."

He nodded, "I knew it. She wasn't really in the shower this morning, was she?" he asked, but she could tell he already knew.

Closing her eyes tightly, she nodded, "Yeah – that is, I mean, no. She, well, it's complicated." She couldn't just lie to his face again, not when he was asking her this direct question.

Apparently, that was all he was looking for from her for the time being, and he nodded, "I knew I saw her foot peeking out from under your bed. My point here, Bug, is that I know I have my rules about sleeping in the same bed under my roof. But you and Callie are adults, and you two have my blessing to _sleep_ in the same bed. I think it's a very respectable thing for her to do to try to protect the two of you by hiding it this morning, but it's unnecessary. So you just let her know that, all right?"

And then he walked out of the shed. Just walked out. Like his words weren't that of a pod person in the Colonel's body. But to be honest, all she could do right at that moment was thank god that he hadn't heard them.

She still smelled like sex – maybe she only thought she did, but she was pretty sure it was true – and she was out in the tool shed helping her father gather tools. It wasn't the ideal morning for her, but considering the options there might have been for her, she was going to take it.

Her dad's voice called to her from outside the shed, "Your mom just said breakfast is ready. Are you coming, Bug?"

Finally finding her voice, she reached down to retrieve the tools she'd dropped – stupidly – on her still painful foot, and limped after him, "Yes! I'm coming!"

Blushing at the words, damn she was so happy he did not hear her say them in an extremely different context only hours ago, she hurried behind him, depositing the tools in her arms next to the ones he'd taken out himself on the picnic table and hurriedly limped inside trying not to put too much weight on her foot.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, almost a full minute behind her dad, she was met with both her parents and Callie deep in conversation. They all looked at her with grins on, and she looked at them suspiciously, "What's going on?"

Her mom was the first one to answer, clapping her hands together, "Callie said that you two didn't have plans tonight, and that you would stay in for a Robbins family game night!"

Blue eyes immediately sought out dark brown ones, that looked at her guiltily, and she narrowed hers in response. Robbins family game night was intense. It didn't matter what they played or who was playing it or what the teams were – it was harsh. They were all competitive, and she knew that Callie was, too. In short, tensions rose and it wasn't exactly a nice, mellow night in the Robbins household.

But it was already decided on, and she could see that that much was the truth. Resigned, she started towards the sink to wash her hands, only to stop at Callie's voice, "Why are you limping?"

Too fast for her to even blink, her girlfriend had her sitting on one of the stools at the counter, her foot that she'd been favoring in her lap as the Latina kneeled in front of her. Shrugging, she bit her lip, "I had a bit of an accident with the tools outside. It's really nothing."

Quick, strong hands were already unlacing her sneaker and pulling it off before unrolling her sock to look at the foot underneath. It really didn't hurt all that badly, but there was something about seeing Callie be so worried about something as small as a little pain in her foot that made her get that really warm feeling inside.

Knowing that she was that concerned for her, that she freaked out just as equally as Arizona herself would have if she saw Callie limping, it just made her feel _good_. It was an equality that had been missing from her and Joanne, and she hadn't quite realized it until now, as caramel hands lightly lifted at her heel to observe her foot.

Callie didn't like this flash of panic she felt when Arizona came limping in. It was… unsettling, she thought was the word, biting her lip in concentration and lightly running her finger over the top of the blonde's foot. There was a bump there, and it was already beginning to bruise, "What exactly did you drop on your foot, sweetie?"

Looking up at her face, she saw Arizona shrug self-consciously, "Um, I think just a wrench."

Rolling her eyes, she looked back down at her foot. It was fine. It really was, but… "We really are quite the couple. We come here perfectly healthy and fine, and we're going to leave with my split lip and you with a limp."

Hearing a giggle burst from her girlfriend, she looked up, "What?" she asked, rolling the sock back up but not putting the sneaker back on. She didn't want to put too much pressure on the still forming lump.

Arizona shook her head, then reached down to grab Callie's hands, pulling her up so she was standing right in front of her, "It's nothing. I just… I thought earlier about how we are quite a pair. And you just said it. Are we so well matched that we have all the same thoughts?"

Laughing herself, she brought her hands up to cup her girlfriend's face, which was a bit sweaty from whatever work she'd been doing outside, and she nodded, "It's kind of creepy."

Her girlfriend continued to grin, "I enjoy it," she admitted, then tilted her head back to connect her lips with Callie's, who stilled briefly.

"Your parents…" she whispered, only able to think about their extremely close call with their morning sex, and her conversation with Barbara was still fresh in her head.

Arizona shook her head, "They left, like a minute and a half ago. We're safe," she whispered, then closed the gap between them.

The kiss was light and fleeting, both still mindful of Callie's lip, which they both knew would take at least another five or six days to heal properly. But it was enough for a good morning kiss, which had been denied to them earlier, due to their… unconventional wake up.

Despite the tingle of pain the contact of lips gave her, she wanted just a little bit more. a little taste of Arizona to start her morning, and she suckled at her bottom lip, feeling more than hearing the blonde's moan, swiping her tongue over her for just a second, also mindful of the parents that were nearby.

"Good morning," she smiled as she drew back, growing even wider as her girlfriend blinked a few times before looking at her clearly.

"Better morning," Arizona corrected.

Reaching her hands back to fix the blonde's disordered ponytail she leaned in to whisper, "Your mom heard us."

Her girlfriend snapped back, eyes wide, "What? Even my dad didn't! But he does know you were hiding from him."

Somewhat relieved that the Colonel didn't know, she drew back a bit, "Surprisingly, she wasn't mad or upset… she just told us to be quieter."

Arizona raised her eyebrows, "The Colonel wasn't actually mad, either, that you were hiding from him. Calliope Torres, I believe you've completely won over both of my parents in less than a week. I do believe that's a new record."

Feeling a little more than proud of herself, she shrugged, "I told you. It's a gift. Parents can resist me."

"You're just too good," Arizona teased, reaching out to run her hand along the dark hair that was still scooped over her girlfriend's shoulder, "But we really didn't have to play game night with them," she rolled her eyes.

Lifting her hand to take the pale, slim one in her hair, she shrugged, "I like games. And we can definitely win! I've already won them over, now I just have to win a few games," she joked.

Blue eyes were less than amused, "Nice pun. But seriously, you don't know what you got us into."

Still smiling, she pressed her lips into the pouty pink ones, "Cheer up, baby! The hard part is done. Now we just have to enjoy the rest of break."

The blonde head tilted upwards just a bit more, for just the slightest of a more firm kiss, mumbling against her lips as two sets of footsteps drew closer, "And learn to be quieter."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! A huge thank you to everyone who already does review, you are the best. Thank you for reading!**


	27. Interlude: Game Night

Arizona sat on the couch in the den, slowly picking up pieces to the one board game they'd managed to play tonight, dropping them one by one into the box. Tonight had turned out to be terrible, she thought, frowning at herself, swiping at the game pieces and dumping them into the box with the folded up board.

But she had told Callie it wasn't a good idea to play games in the Robbins household. There was no easy line drawn for "just a game." Oh, no sireebob, nothing was just a game. The Colonel, and to a less easy to spot and much more sneaky way, her mom had raised her and Tim to like to win and to win big. Because the two of them liked to win and to win big.

As soon as it was a competition, shit was _real_, she grimaced, tilting her head back and shaking the box in her hands just slightly at the ceiling. And now, Callie wasn't talking to her. Just perfect.

* * *

"They're sneaky," the Colonel had whispered into Callie's ear as they sat across from Barbara and Arizona, placating her after their resounding loss, though he looked like he needed some comforting, too.

The two women were just sitting there, innocently with their blue eyes and dimples, and her girlfriend fluttered her eyelashes at her – then again, that smugness was probably in response to the fact that she and Barbara were scarily good at Taboo and had whipped Callie and the Colonel's asses. She whispered back, "They look so sweet."

His sigh was one of bitter defeat, "That's how they get you."

Arizona's grin was the smuggest look she as sure she'd ever seen on her girlfriend's face. And she found it equal parts adorable and frightening. Bringing her hands down on her knees, she pushed herself up, "I'm going to get the popcorn."

"We'll set up the next game!" Arizona exclaimed, "And we're switching up the teams!"

Walking into the kitchen and popping the bag into the microwave, she was relieved they were switching the teams. Callie wasn't the most competitive person in the world; well, she could be, but it didn't really come out in board games. If they put her into a sport, then, yeah, she'd get into it. But… being on the Colonel's team, and knowing that he wanted to win so badly made her feel uncomfortable because she just didn't care as much and she definitely wasn't as good at these guessing games as they were.

Lifting the huge bowl of popcorn off the counter, Callie headed into the living room, where the Robbins were all waiting on her. She didn't quite understand why Arizona had given her that _look_ earlier, when she agreed to game night, but whatever the issue was, she was sure it couldn't be that bad. Sliding the door open to the den with her foot, she stepped inside with a bright smile.

Which faded quickly, seeing how Daniel and Barbara were on one side of a small table, and Arizona sat on the other, all with very serious expressions on their faces. Her girlfriend's blue eyes were narrowed, her chin tilted in challenge at her parents, while the Colonel stated, "We _will_ play with the Fun Phrase cards, Bug, all right?"

Arizona's eyes rolled, "Dad, are you kidding me? I haven't heard of half of these! Listen, some of the ones on this card are –"

He snatched the card out of her hand and quickly slapped it down into the middle of the cards in the box, "Arizona, don't read them beforehand. It's cheating."

A slim hand reached into the game box below them and pulled out a little blue die, "Fine, but we're also playing with the handicap, too, then."

She stood, watching them argue for a few seconds, not exactly sure what to say in response, until Barbara looked up at her, and waved her to come forward, "Oh, come on, Callie. This is just a little preparation."

"Right," she muttered, stepping forward, sitting next to her girlfriend on the couch, putting the popcorn bowl on the table next to the game board. There was this glittering in Arizona's blue eyes that she didn't think she'd ever seen there before… and it was kind of frightening. Patting her hand on the blonde's thigh, she waited until Arizona looked away from the glaring stalemate she was in with her father. When she did, Callie raised an eyebrow, "Arizona, the game hasn't even begun yet."

Letting up, she blonde sighed just a little bit, "I know. Okay. We should get started." Reaching forward to grab the dice to roll to see who went first, she looked at Callie, "You're on my team now. We're going against the Old-Timers over there," she teased, jerking her thumb in the direction of her parents.

Barbara laughed lightly, but Daniel just folded his arms, "Just keep talking it up, Bug. We'll see who comes out on top here."

Soon, it was determined that the game was in Callie and Arizona's control. But it was an all-play, so a member from both teams would be drawing. "I'll draw," Callie immediately volunteered, feeling herself get into the spirit.

"Are you sure?" Arizona asked, taking her hand before she could stand and walk to the white board that was set up in the front of the room. Her eyebrows were drawn up in concern and her face was just this dead serious look.

It was unsettling, the Latina thought, and squeezed the blonde's hand lightly before dropping it and reaching down to take the card from the pile to see what she would be drawing. The parents Robbins had decided Barbara would be joining her in the drawing on the board, so she gave her the card to look at the picture they would need to draw.

She didn't like the way a smile immediately stole over Barbara's face, and they both stepped up to the white board, a dry erase marker in hand. The objective here was to get their respective partner to guess what they were drawing as quickly as possible. If Callie and Arizona got it, they could roll the die and move forward on the board; if Daniel and Barbara got it, they would steal control.

And Arizona meant business, she thought, her eyes widening at how intense her girlfriends were. This was no joke.

Rolling her neck, she assured herself, she had this. When had she ever lost at Pictionary, ever in her life? Daniel's voice called out from behind them as she and Barbara were both prepared at the board, both standing on either side, "When I finish my count… on your marks… get set… go!"

The timer was flipped and she connected her marker to the board, hearing Arizona call out, "Come on, Calliope!" as she quickly drew down a simple line.

Before she could bring up her hand to continue drawing so that it didn't look like a weird sort of squiggle, Daniel's voice from behind her yelled, "Dinosaur!"

A gleeful smile stole over Barbara's face and she turned around, jumping up and down, clapping, before she sent Callie an apologetic look. Waving it off – she would have reacted the same if she and Arizona had won first, she turned to take a closer look at the board.

Her own picture was this slanted wiggling line, and she was going fast, she thought, looking at Barbara's drawing, which was a tall stick figure, with a round head and pointy teeth sticking out. Laughing just a little bit, she turned around to go back to her girlfriend, but Arizona was already sitting on the couch, her arms crossed, staring at both of the pictures.

And just like that, she was already sure this wasn't going to work out well for her.

An hour and a half later, both pieces had made their way around the board. Daniel and Barbara were on the verge of winning, and in order to stop them, Callie and Arizona had to regain control in this round.

Arizona's hand was digging into her knee, her eyes concentrated as she reached for a card, mumbling, "We can do this, Calliope. We got this."

Reaching down, she lightly rubbed her fingers over the back of Arizona's hand and she could _feel_ the tension zipping through her girlfriend's body. But they were already long past the point of "just a game." No, no, they had passed that when there had been a ten minute _heated_ debate about whether or not Callie or Barbara had been the first one to guess the word car. It involved a lot of screaming, and had ultimately ended up with a new card being drawn as a tie-breaker.

And they were on a phrase card, she rolled her eyes up at the ceiling. Dear god, please help her. Arizona read the card… then paused… and reread it, then narrowed her eyes in the direction of her parents who were looking very smug, before rolling her neck and walking toward the white board.

Soon, the timer was flipped and Callie clamped her hands together, sitting on the edge of her seat to get a good look at the board. Her girlfriend's hands flew over the board with the marker, and her eyes didn't even know which direction to follow in, and she felt her heart beat faster, frantic.

Wildly, Arizona gestured to a face she drew with a huge smile on it, and a voice bubble, and Callie started shouting things out, "Grin! Smile! Yell! Laugh!"

She stopped as Arizona nodded at "laugh" then quickly, messily, drew in a second person, whose hands reached toward the laughing person, and it clicked in her brain, yelling out, "Tickle!"

The blonde head nodded vigorously, and erased the people, then scribbled – they were almost at the half minute mark – rows and rows of plants, with a, was that a shovel? "Garden! Plant! Seed! Dirt!"

Arizona pointed, quickly, rolling her hands as if to tell her that she was close with her last guess and she bit her lip, racking her mind, thinking of the possibilities, "Soil?"

Jumping up and down, then turning back to the board, bringing up her arm to draw another stick figure, this time one that appeared to be running, it had hair in a ponytail, and freckles with devil horns and a tail, but before she could even say a word – like she even had one to say in response to _that_, the timer ran out, and Daniel loudly proclaimed, "Time's up!"

Finally, Arizona's mouth fell open, a frustrated groan falling out, "Calliope! It was a saying! You had to try to put together all the little words I was giving to you in a saying, not just throw them out there randomly!"

Frustrated, as this was how they'd spend the entire game, with her getting yelled at whenever they weren't winning, she crossed her arms and made the effort not to yell back, "What in the world kind of saying were you drawing? Because I don't think it's one that I've ever heard of!"

Reaching to pick up the card, Barbara read out loud, ""Tickle the soil with a hoe and it will laugh a harvest"?"

A laugh burst from Callie before she could remember to hold it in, "What? What kind of saying is that?" then she swiveled in her seat, and pointed at the board, still chuckling, "And what were you drawing?" she asked in reference to the devil running.

Arizona, who was clearly not amused, turned to look at her masterpiece, "You already got tickle and soil. I was just trying to get to you say hoe! This is Joanne, hello, with the freckles and the running stuff."

Still laughing, both Robbins parents even laughing a little bit, Arizona huffed, "This should be a redo! Come on, clearly no one was ever going to guess that saying. It's hardly a saying, considering no one actually, you know, says it."

At that, the Colonel was no longer laughing, "Absolutely not. The rules of the game, no do-overs just because you didn't guess the phrase."

Arizona erased the board in angry swipes, the laughter leaving Callie's face as she watched how angry this made her girlfriend. The blonde sat next to her, huffing out a breath as her parents started to take their winning turn. She was positive that she could hear her muttering, "Stupid phrase cards. Stupid game. Stupid."

And as soon as her mom easily guessed the word that Daniel drew, Arizona clenched her hands together tightly, so tightly her knuckles turned white. And when the Colonel sent her that smirk that said that he won and they both knew it, Callie could _feel_ the tension rolling off of her body.

Shifting to the side, she looked into those bitter blue eyes, "Are you kidding me, Arizona? This is a stupid game. Stop getting so wound up over it."

"I told you that game night is serious stuff, Calliope!" the words burst from pink lips before she could stop them, her parents both pausing to stare at them.

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms, "Well, this should have been fun. Instead, you're just making it into a ridiculous competition. Who cares if your parents won Pictionary? It's Pictionary! And you won the last game. I'm the only one who lost at both games so far."

"We could have one! We were so close," Arizona's lips automatically formed into a pout and for some reason, it just made something inside of her snap.

"This is ridiculous; these are board games. Not the be-all, end-all of the world, all right? I have to go shower and get ready for bed," she gave an apologetic look to both Robbins parents, who also looked a little guilty – and they were guilty because they had this same attitude going on. Absolutely ridiculous, she thought, and went upstairs.

* * *

So here she was. Secretly sitting on her parent's floor after raiding their wine stash, while her girlfriend was mad at her. Because of these stupid, stupid games – because of _Pictionary_! Seriously. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just let it go and enjoy the game?

Because that wasn't what they did in the Robbins house. When she and Tim were little, _everything_ was a conversation, no matter what it was. The first one to be finished cleaning their room, the first one to wash their hands for dinner… it was just what they did. And the Colonel was a huge advocate for a little competition.

Stacking the games on top of one another, she flopped backwards onto the couch and closed her eyes. Her parents had gone up to bed soon after her girlfriend had. Almost an hour ago. And she'd stayed down here to clean up because she figured Callie wanted some space to be annoyed at her.

Closing her eyes, she brought her arm up to rest over them. Then they snapped open as the door to the den slid open, and she turned around. Callie's hair was still damp from her shower, up in a bun on the top of her head, revealing the long, line of her neck. And that hickey.

Was it wrong that seeing the mark she left on her girlfriend's body – despite that she hadn't meant to do it – made her hot? She liked knowing that that was a visible reminder of _her_ and that Callie was carrying it around with her.

Managing a small smile, she said, "Calliope, I'm sorry. You're right. They're just silly games, but I do get worked up about them. I can't help it."

The Latina slid the door behind her closed, walking forward, and the smell of her – freshly showered with Arizona's soap and shampoo – overtook her senses, "You're a crazy person."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, "I know. I just… when there are games, I like to _win_."

As she reconnected her eyes with Callie's, she lifted her brows at the look on her girlfriends face, "Oh, I know you like to win. But the question is, can you?"

"Huh?" she asked, her throat feeling dry at the darkened look in Callie's eyes.

In a flash, Callie was kneeling in front of her, "The quiet game, Arizona. You remember that game from last night? You weren't good at winning that one, were you?"

Shaking her head, she shifted, her hands coming up to frame her girlfriend's face, pulling her forward to connect their lips. Sliding her tongue against the incredibly plump bottom lip, tasting her girlfriend, and moaning just a little bit, she groaned when Callie pulled away.

"Hey, now, I said the quiet game! Arizona, I thought you wanted to win?" Callie asked, the corners of her mouth smiling in the most mischievous way.

Sighing, she dropped her head to the back of the couch, "Calliope, we are in my den. At my parent's house. I _know_ nothing is going to come of this, especially not here. Not the day after my mom heard us having sex. And they are both upstairs right now!"

And even after saying all of that and knowing that it was all true, she desperately wanted her girlfriend. Then Callie whispered, "True… but if you're quiet none of that will matter, now, will it?"

She was drenched, already. All it took were husky whispered words of promise, and she was ready. Wiggling her hips – so, so ready already – she asked, "Really?"

And then Callie laughed, pressing another kiss lightly against her lips, "Are you crazy? Of course not. I just wanted you to be a little worked up so you would feel some of the frustration you made me feel earlier at your craziness."

Letting out a heavy breath, she rolled her eyes, then felt her hands be grasped in Callie's, who pulled her up effortlessly, "I guess I deserve a little teasing."

"I could say so," the Latina responded, yawning while leading her up the stairs, "And, seriously babe, we both got like, what, five straights hours of sleep, if that? I just want to curl up next to you and fall asleep for the night, okay?"

Tightening her grip on the hand around hers, she hurried them toward the room. Snuggling with Callie was the perfect end to every day, especially after a game night.

* * *

**I'm sorry about the short length of this chapter! I've had a crazy night, and I wanted to put up something for you guys, at least. The next update will be back to normal and back to Boston. Thank you so much for reading, and please let me know what you thought! You guys are the absolute best. **


	28. Match Day

"You're doing a great job, Callie," the old man who was in the hospital for a kidney transplant smiled at her.

Smiling brightly at him, she responded, "Thank you, Mr. Carter," before they both laughed. Her current Patient Care class required a clinical that she was completing shadowing the same doctor she'd observed last semester for the Introduction class.

They laughed because they'd chatted several times in the last few months about how all of the medical students during these clinical requirements hardly did anything. It made sense – they didn't just let medical students run around the hospital doing medical procedures. But to observe patient care for hours every week was just not very thrilling. She understood the use of it, but she felt like she already knew all she would need to know for how to interact with patients.

It was people like Cristina Yang who would desperately need this class.

Her overseeing surgeon, Dr. Mays, had been paged away on a 9-1-1 and told her to stay with Mr. Carter. So she sat in the chair next to his bed, reading over his chart, darting her eyes over to the things she saw. Like how the corresponding medicines hanging in the bags was written in the chart, and trying to quiz herself on whether or not she knew that from her classes and textbooks.

For most of it, she thought proudly, she did know. Mark and Addison thought her studying methods were crazy and too intense, but it always ensured that she passed with flying colors. The chart in her hands almost collapsed to the ground as a loud voice from outside of the hospital room door shouted, "No!"

Mr. Carter gave her an inquisitive look, "What do you reckon is going on out there?"

"I can't fucking believe this!" The voice shouted again before she could answer, followed by a thumping sound that a fist would make crashing into something.

Scrambling to slide the chart back into place at the foot of the bed, she hopped up, "I'll be right back," she threw over her shoulder and ran to the hallway. There was a group of nurses shushing the man, who she recognized as a med student, a year older than she was. He was a class with her last semester, too, and she thought his name was… Jared? Jared Cross, she thought it was. They'd been doing their clinical hours here at overlapping times every Tuesday, and he always seemed like a nice, friendly guy.

But right now, he was squatting down low to the ground, nurses were bustling around him, as his face was contorted in pain. His fist – presumably one he just slammed into the nurses' station counter, was clasped tightly in his other hand, but she could still see how red it was from feet away.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," he spoke, his voice low and sounding like he was close to tears, and he pushed himself up, his height making him tower above the three women around him, all of whom were in the hospital issue blue/green scrubs, while his Harvard Medical School crimson red, which matched her own, stood out like a sore thumb.

Walking forward slowly, she asked, "You're Jared, right?"

As he massaged his hand, he nodded, glumly looking at the ground, "Yeah. You're Callie. We were in Global Medicine together. I didn't mean to cause a scene. I'm sorry."

Nodding, she interlocked her fingers in front of her, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's Match Day," he said quietly, and it took a second for that to sink in to her. Match Day, in which most graduating seniors were matched with a hospital in which to do their residency. After applying in the beginning of their fourth year, then doing interviews mid-semester, the long, long awaited day came where they found out where they would be spending the next five years.

Taking in how upset he was, she ventured a guess, "Were you not matched with any program?" which would honestly shock her, because though it did happen, it rarely happened to people applying from the best school in the country.

"I was," he sighed, leaning back into the counter, his shoulders sagging, "I'm now committed to the UCLA Medical Center."

Reaching out, she tentatively patted his shoulder, her positive that her confusion was clear in her voice, "I don't know why you're so upset; that's one of the top ten hospitals in the country! I think it calls for more of a congrats than a punching of the counter."

He shook his head, looking down, "Yeah, it is a great school. But I made sure to write down my top choices as hospitals in Boston – my girlfriend is already in her intern year at Brigham and Women's here. And now, in four months, I'm going to be sent to California. For five years."

Oh. Now that was bad news, but before she could express any sympathy, a doctor rounded the corner, "Cross! I just got a call to tell me that my med student punched the nurses' station counter top. You're aware this is going to show up on my evaluation of your clinical skills, right?"

Raising her eyebrows, she started to back away to let him get yelled at in privacy. As soon as she was back in the room, Mr. Carter had pushed himself into a sitting position, eager for the gossip, "Well? What's going on?"

She explained Match Day and the process to him, then relayed Jared's news, "I mean, it's kind of terrible. He should be happy that he's going to one of the best hospitals, but at the same time he and his girlfriend are probably going to break up because of it."

He shook his head, gray hair brushing against his pillow, "It's young people these days. Long distance relationships are hard work, but if you really loved someone you fight for them."

"Well, it's hard, especially for people starting their intern years. They're already going to be working eighty hour weeks, exhausted, let alone working that hard to keep their relationship together. And they won't really have a good amount of vacation time to use until their residencies are over, which is five years later," she defended. She'd known a lot of people in the last three years who had experienced situations like these.

Closing his eyes, he conceded, "I can see how it might be difficult."

Dr. Mays swung the door open, "I apologize, Mr. Carter, but there was an emergency in the ER. We can talk about your post-op now." Walking forward, he took the chart, "Callie, it's your lunch break."

Knowing when she was dismissed – Dr. Mays wasn't one to beat around the bush – she started out the door, then froze as the realization hit her. Match Day was today for all fourth year medical students. Arizona was a fourth year medical student. Reaching into the pocket on the butt of her scrubs, she pulled out her phone, then waited for it to turn on after mandatorily turning it off when she came in a few hours ago. Plus, she forgot to charge it last night, so it was close to dying, anyway.

What if she and Arizona were Jared and his girlfriend? What if _her_ girlfriend was going to be sent to California or Florida or even back to Maryland, while she was going to be here, finishing med school? Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw that she had three text messages on her phone pop up from her girlfriend from almost an hour ago, **Calliope! I have really big news :(**

And then her stomach sank. There was a sad face; _why _was there a sad face?! Sliding her finger down the screen, the next text was simply **:)**

Followed by a third text of **Sorry, that was a typo. You have to call me when you have some time.**

What was a typo? Which one, the happy face or the sad face? Her thoughts raced and she hit call button next to her girlfriend's name, fidgeting from foot to foot, waiting for her to answer. And then she went right to voicemail.

What the hell! She couldn't handle this kind of stress, because the thought that Arizona was all of the sudden going to be living states away scared the crap out of her. Her hands were shaking from the strange mix of the frustration at the blonde not picking up her phone and the panic that was starting to set in at the fact that her girlfriend was going to be leaving her. And she said it herself, long distance relationships between people in the medical field just didn't work.

Quickly, she typed out a message, _Where did you get into for next year? Sweetie, I need to know!_

And even though it sounded desperate, she kind of was, so she sent it anyway, mindful of the glaring red color her battery life draining more by the second. Her phone vibrated back, **Sorry, I just got to the TA meeting, but I'll call you when I get out. Actually, do you want to come over tonight for a dinner date? I have something I need to talk to you about.**

She was going to text back a response, something along the lines of, _you're killing me and I need to know what is going to happen and whether or not the person I've loved the most is going to be moving across the country or not!_ But then her phone went black, and that was that.

"Geez, Cal, you look like someone punched you in the stomach," Addison's voice came as the redhead sidled up next to her. They'd arranged their clinical hours to coincide on Tuesdays, and it was their routine to get lunch together. "Someone didn't actually punch you in the stomach, did they?"

Shaking her head, she mumbled, "It's nothing." While Addison looped her arm through the Latina's and started to lead them toward the cafeteria. She'd joked when she first saw Callie after break – whose split lip had almost completely healed by then – that she brought back a great tan, whereas Callie brought back a busted lip.

Entering the café, she immediately plopped down at a table, not bothering to get any lunch. She didn't feel like eating when her stomach was in this pitted, knotted feeling of hell. Addison pulled out the chair next to her, sighing, "What did Arizona do now?"

Disliking the accusatory tone, she drew her eyebrows down, "Why do you assume Arizona did something?"

"Because I've known you for years and ever since September, if you were looking this down, it's got Arizona written all over it. I know I'm supposed to be giving her a chance, and I've been trying for months, but there just comes a point where I can't keep standing by and supporting my best friend getting her heart crushed when the woman you're dating treats you like crap –" she started ranting, anger written all over her face.

Addison was a protective friend, and Callie liked that about her. But there was only so far she could push before she snapped, and she always wasn't in the best mood. Holding her hand up, she stopped her, "Addison, stop. Arizona hasn't _done_ anything. She's been nothing short of an amazing girlfriend, so you need to just stop assuming the worst of her all the time."

The redhead's mouth was drawn tightly closed, one of her perfectly arched eyebrows lifting even higher in that way it did when she had more to say but wasn't saying it, "I'm sorry. It's just my first impressions of people last, Callie, you know that. And my first four months of knowing Arizona was her shutting you out. How many times after you guys had sex did you end up in my apartment in tears because of her?"

Irritated, she clasped her hands tightly together on the table and looked into dark blue eyes, "That is… irrelevant. Arizona had reasons for being who she was and had trouble letting people in – but she did let me in, and all that trouble we had is over. If I've gotten over it – and I clearly have – so should you. I don't need my best friend to be angry on my behalf, I need you to be supportive. Has it ever occurred to you that this is why I talk to Mark more about her?"

Her eyebrow was still slanted in that way, but she just shook her head, "Fine. Fine, I support you. I support her. I'm being supportive. You don't need to throw your friendship with Mark around, I get it. I haven't been as good a friend to you as he has about this whole Arizona thing, so –"

"And it's not a thing. Stop saying this "thing" I have with Arizona. We had a _thing_ last semester. We're actually together now. Our thing is a relationship," the words burst from her, laced with annoyance, even more than she meant to let out. But she couldn't help it. Because she and Arizona were together, for real together together, and when Addison said stuff like that it just got to her.

"Callie, come on. I did not mean it like that; I know you two are together. Callie and Arizona, together, relationship, I get it," letting out a deep breath, she tapped her hands on her thighs, "Now. Why don't you tell me what's got you looking like you are going to cough up a hairball if it's not your girlfriend?"

Sighing in defeat, she dropped her head to the table, "It is my girlfriend. But don't get all smug – she didn't do anything. Something was done to her. It's Match Day," she grumbled, lying her head to the side to look up at her friend, miserable. She was positive her girlfriend was leaving the state. She could feel it. Why else wouldn't Arizona have just told her where she was doing her residency over the phone? Why else would it have qualified as a "we need to talk in person" situation?

The dawning moment happened to Addison, whose eyes widened, "Ahhh. So, where is she going?"

"I don't know. Probably UCLA. Or Mayo. Or Cleveland. Who knows? There are fucking great hospitals all over the country, and they probably all lined up for her because she's so awesome," she lamented, banging her head down repeatedly on her hands, her insides still experiencing that twisty feeling that made her feel nauseous, "I just got her, Addi. I just got her, and now she's leaving."

And now Addison was looking at her like she was crazy, "You're already acting this crazy and you don't even know where she's going. Callie, you just said it yourself, Arizona is really smart and she TA's for one of the most well-respected doctors in the country, and there are really great hospitals here in Boston for her to go to. Mass General is number one in the country, then we have Brigham and Women's, even Beth Israel. You haven't lost Arizona yet, so stop thinking that you have!" she finished with a flourish.

Even Callie had to lift her head to stare at her friend in shock, who just grinned smugly, "How is that for supportive? You don't need Mark," she mumbled, standing and heading in the direction of food.

She returned quickly, as there was no line, sliding a salad across to Callie and opening one for herself, "_And_, no matter where Arizona is going, you, as her girlfriend, need to support her and be happy for her. You don't want to make her feel torn, right?"

Flipping open the lid, she picked at the lettuce inside, "Right." She thought of Jared's face, and how upset he was, and she didn't want Arizona to feel like that. "What, did the salad guy give you some words of wisdom?"

"No! It was the cashier lady," she added, grinning, and Callie managed to laugh, though it quickly faded as her thoughts took back over.

Despite Addison's words of wisdom, she couldn't help but spend the remainder of her time during clinical focused on her girlfriend and where she would be going. And what it would mean for their relationship, because she was _in love_ with this woman, and Arizona was in love with her – she'd taken her to meet her parents for god's sake, and she knew that meant Arizona was serious – but how would they manage when Callie was in her last year of school and she was in a different state for her first year of residency?

Addison was right, there were amazing hospitals here in Boston, at least three that were respectable enough for Arizona to have written down as her choices when she'd done her priority list last semester. Then again, she didn't know about these details of Arizona's life last semester, because she didn't share these personal details. Callie didn't know where her girlfriend's ideal placement would even be.

What if Boston hospitals hadn't even been her number one choice? What if she had said she wanted to go to any of the other immeasurably good schools that were located anywhere else in the states?

She didn't know. And she couldn't wait any longer to find out, she thought, pulling on the light jacket she'd brought with her to ward against the late March chill, and skipped her own apartment, instead walking the extra fifteen minutes to Arizona's. Luckily for her, the woman who lived downstairs from her girlfriend was on her way out as she got there, so she just went right up.

Heart in throat, she knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she checked her watch… it was just past four, and she knew Arizona didn't have classes this late and that meeting should have been over hours ago. Lifting her hand again, the door swung open, revealing the blonde.

She was dressed in a pair of Callie's sweatpants rolled at the waist – when had she swiped that pair? – and a tank top, with her hair up in the messy bun she always did after it dried from being in the shower. This was her girlfriend, she thought, feeling dread claw at her stomach, and, as she'd told Addison earlier, she just got her. She wasn't ready to give her up; she didn't know if she ever would be.

Her bright blue eyes widened, "Calliope! What are you doing here? I thought you were coming for dinner later."

Looking down at herself, at her dark red scrub pants and the top that stuck out from under her jacket. Their routine since the beginning of the semester had been that they spent Tuesday nights together, since they had their early class on Wednesday and it was just easier – better, really – to wake up with one another and get coffee and go. But usually, Callie wouldn't come to Arizona's apartment until after she'd gone to her own first to change out of her scrubs, shower, and pack an overnight bag. Either that, or the blonde would come to her place later in the night.

Kicking her foot at the doorway, she shrugged, "I, my phone died earlier. And I really wanted to see you because you have big news. Remember?"

"Of course I remember!" Arizona replied, then reached out to take that caramel hand in hers, pulling her in through the door and kicking it closed behind them, before leading her in the direction of the kitchen, "Come on, I have something –"

Just as they were in the doorway, Callie abruptly stopped. She'd spent all day wondering what the fuck was going to happen to her relationship with her girlfriend, and she couldn't wait anymore. She had to know whether or not she was going to have _this_ – Arizona taking her hand, Arizona stealing her sweatpants without her knowing, Arizona, at all – come July. And, if the answer was not the one she wanted, which was highly likely because the odds were against them, then she needed to know what the hell she was going to _do_.

And that was just it, wasn't it? The odds were against them, because what were the chances that her girlfriend was going to go to one of the hospitals here when there were hundreds of others around the country? And if she was here, Callie couldn't imagine why she wouldn't be jumping with joy and that peppiness that she practically shined with whenever she was excited about something.

The words slipped out before she could stop them, "I'm going to miss you. A lot. And I don't really know what I'm going to do."

Concern etched across that gorgeous face, eyebrows knitting together as her hand tightened on Callie's and the Latina could have sworn Arizona looked panicked, "What? Where are you going? Why are you leaving?"

Shaking her head, she squeezed the hand gripping hers as she sullenly replied, "Not me; you."

Now the blonde looked up at her, confusion blatant, "Me? Where am I going?"

Dropping the slim hand holding hers, she lifted it to play with wisps of blonde hair that had fallen out of that bun, loving how soft the locks were on her skin, "Wherever you got matched to. I know I should be happy for you, wherever you go in. And I _am_ happy, I am, because you've been waiting for this forever and you deserve to have everything, you deserve whatever your top choice program was, but… I just… love you," she finished, dropping her hand to her side, feeling stupid and miserable at the same time.

Two soft hands came up to cup her face, lifting it so that her brown eyes met those blue ones that shined up at her, "Calliope, I'm not going anywhere. I got into Mass Gen; I'm staying in Boston."

That balloon of gloom that had been steadily growing in her all day popped, and as it deflated, she stared, unbelieving at Arizona. But her girlfriend's super magic smile was completely legitimate, and her own swept over her face, "Really?"

Her girlfriend's hands now found both of hers, grasping them tightly, and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, "Really!"

Using the hold on her hands, she tugged Arizona forward, fast, making her body crash into her own, before untangling their hands and holding her tightly against her, "I spent all day thinking you were going across the country. And I didn't like it," she whispered into her ear, feeling intense relief wash over her knowing that there wasn't an expiration date for their relationship coming up in the near future.

She felt the blonde's lips move against the side of the neck, "I wouldn't have liked that, either. I don't want to leave you, Calliope. I told you. I'm in this. You can't get rid of me," she whispered, pressing her lips against Callie's pulse point, and brown eyes closed, feeling her heart beat faster at the sensation.

"I don't want to get rid of you. I was depressed all day thinking that you were going to do your residency in a different state, and now… you're staying in Boston. You got into the number one program in the country! And not only am I completely ecstatic for us, but I'm so proud of you," she skimmed her lips down, planting light touches on her girlfriend's cheek, then down her jaw.

Finally, she connected their lips, both mouths immediately open. Arizona's tongue slid against hers, and she sucked it into her mouth, greedy, desperate for her taste after a day of utter hell. Kissing Arizona was always like fireworks went off behind her eyes and could make her toes curl, and this time, knowing that it didn't have to end, just made it even better.

Her hands wandered, sliding down her girlfriend's back, inching closer and closer to grip two handfuls of the most amazing butt to ever roam the planet. Just as the tips of her fingers slid into the waistband of the sweatpants the blonde was wearing, so close to that warm, firm skin, when a throat cleared from farther into the kitchen, along with a man's voice shouting, "Hey, now! Watch yourself."

She froze, both her hands and her lips, as Arizona sighed against her, blue eyes blinking open and rolling, "This is why I was bringing you into the kitchen."

Her hands fell to her sides, and she looked around – there was no one here – and then Arizona moved to the side, gesturing toward her laptop, where a man was projected on the camera. He had a huge grin on his face, dimples that looked like Arizona's creasing his cheeks, "I'm Tim. Nice to meet you."

She recognized him from the pictures she'd seen, and she walked closer, suddenly feeling just a little self-conscious. What was it with her meeting members of the Robbins family with her always feeling up Arizona? Her girlfriend's arm slid around her waist and they stood in front of the camera, "Tim, this is my Calliope. But _you_ have to call her Callie," she stuck out her tongue at him, and he narrowed his eyes in response.

Callie laughed, and Arizona looked up at her with this… look in her eyes, before she disengaged from their hold, "I'll be right back."

Leaving Callie with her laptop and, subsequently, her brother. The Latina pulled up a chair to sit in front of him, "It's nice to meet you, too."

He gestured at his own camera, "If we call this meeting, anyway," he added, his grin charming. He kicked back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, and looked at her, "Well, my sister always did get beautiful women. But, if I say so myself, you're better looking than Joanne. Or that girl Lauren that she dated for five minutes. And you're even better in person – er, video chat – than you are on the picture Bug showed me."

She lifted her eyebrows, "Picture?"

He nodded, "Oh yeah, she's been telling me all about you every Sunday for months. Of course I was going to ask to see a picture of the girl who made my sister forget her dumbass rules. It was a good one – but you're better face to face."

Her cheeks heated just a bit, "Well, thanks. I'm sure you bring home your fair share of beautiful women when you're here," she added, taking in how his eyes were just a little darker than Arizona's baby blue, and his hair was darker, on the cusp of blonde and brown, and was grown out enough to stick up in different directions, looking messy yet stylish.

Wiggling his eyebrows, he nodded, "You know it. But there's not much action to be had over here, so my looking for love days will just have to wait." He sat up straight in his chair and looked over Callie's shoulder, "Bug, get out of the kitchen! I'm not done talking to your lady."

Turning her head, she saw her girlfriend make a face at her brother and raise her eyebrows in question, but she backed away. She turned back to Tim, who was giving her a serious look, "Okay, here's the rundown real quick while she's out of the room. This is between you and me; I have my whole you break my baby sister's heart, I'll break your face speech I created back in the day before she came out. While I don't make it my mission to hit women, just don't hurt her, all right? She's been through a lot. And I'm trusting you to look out for her, because my parents trust you with her. And my dad doesn't just trust anyone. Plus, you punched that Joanne bitch in the face, which I've wanted to see happen for a while. From big brother to girlfriend of my sister, you look out for her even when she doesn't need to be watched out for. Or else one day I'm going to have to hope someone punches you in the face. And I don't want that."

Chuckling a little bit, she shook her head, "I don't want that either."

"Okay, good, as long as we're on the same page," he called out, "Hey, Bug, you can come back now!"

Arizona came back in, moving at a fast pace, leaning over Callie's shoulder to glare menacingly into the camera, "Don't think I didn't eavesdrop and hear you tell my girlfriend you might one day hope she gets punched in the face! Timothy Daniel Robbins, I leave you alone for two minutes with my woman and you're already making an asshole of yourself."

Eyes widening, she shook her head, and looked back into the camera, "Hey, I get it. I'm an older sibling, too."

Looking smug, Tim shook his head back at his sister, "Yeah, you hear that? Your woman gets where I'm coming from. We're on the same page; you have to get on our level."

Arizona turned her head to glare from him to her, "I can't believe you two are already ganging up on me." But she was smiling, just a little bit.

"My computer time is up; I'll see you Sunday, Bug. Until next time, Callie," he saluted with that large smile on his face.

Arizona turned back in his direction, "Love you, Tim. Stay safe!" she said, the way she always did at the end of their calls.

His smile turned down a notch, "I always am," he answered, the same way he always answered her when she said it.

Callie managed to get in a wave before the call was disconnected. Reaching a hand behind her, she looped her hand around the back of Arizona's thigh and pulled, making the blonde step around the chair so she was standing next to Callie's seat. Taking both of her hands, she wrapped them around the blonde's thighs, maneuvering them so Arizona was straddling her lap.

The blonde's hands were braced on her shoulders, while she smiled down at her, "That's Tim. I wasn't expecting him to call today, but I guess it was really great timing. Did you like him?"

"I did. He seems funny," she said, then smoothed her hands down those sweatpants covered thighs, until they reached her knees, "You showed him a picture of me?" she asked, grinning. The feeling she had knowing that was the same one she'd gotten when she'd found out Arizona told her parents about her. It was this steady warmth spreading through her, wrapping around her heart in this fluttery feeling.

Arizona's hands came up, running through dark hair and Callie leaned her head into the feeling as her girlfriend answered, "Well, you're hot. Beautiful. Probably the best looking person on the planet and I wanted to show you off. Even when you're wearing the school scrubs."

Dragging her hands back up until they reached the rolled waist of her pants, this time her fingers dipped down, just enough to feel Arizona's warmth, "Well, I would like to disagree and say that _you_ are the best looking person on the planet, however, I understand that you aren't going to show yourself off to Tim, so I'll let it slide. And on the subject of clothes, since when did you have these pants? I was looking for them the other day," she said, her voice suspicious, "How many other clothes of mine do you have here without my knowledge?"

Instead of looking embarrassed as clearly betting caught, her girlfriend just gave her a big, sexy smile, "That kind of leads me into saying what I want to say… I had this made for you," she stretched over Callie's head, giving the Latina the most amazing view of those breasts that were almost pushed into her face. Groaning, her stomach tightened, and she was going to press a kiss against the skin above her tank top before Arizona leaned back, presenting an object to Callie.

The bronze glinted in the light of the kitchen, and Callie raised her eyebrows, "A key?"

Now Arizona did blush, "Well, you know, I thought it just might make things easier, you know? Because this way you can come over whenever you want. Not that you can't now, but with the key you can come in even when I'm not here to let you in. And with the key would come a drawer. Because I actually already have a Callie drawer, but it's for all your clothes I've stolen from you and like to wear, but the other Callie drawer can actually be your drawer, and you can put whatever you want in it."

That warmth amplified, and she stared up into those blue eyes, where the nerves were clearly looking down at her. Arizona Robbins was giving her a key and a drawer. She hadn't seen this coming, but it was so great that it stunned her speechless.

But that speechlessness was a bad thing, because Arizona started to babble, "Of course. I mean. You don't have to _use_ the key. If you think it's too soon or – or if you think it's dumb. It's just a stupid key."

Her hand slipped out of the waistband it was still tucked into and reached up, grabbing the key from Arizona's grip before she could put it back down, "No, I don't think the key is stupid. I love the key. I'm keeping the key. And the drawer, even though it just means that even more of my wardrobe will be here for you to steal and wear around your apartment."

The nerves disappeared into a smile, and Arizona bent down, this time pressing her lips in open mouth kiss along the column of Callie's throat, then pausing at her clavicle sucking lightly in the way that made shivers erupt all over the brunette's body, before whispering, "I love you. And I'm so happy I got into Mass Gen, because I didn't want to have to leave you, either."

Brown eyes wanted to roll back in pleasure as those lips latched back onto her skin, mindful not to leave a visible mark, just working lightly enough to make little nerve endings light on fire all over her body. But she kept her eyes open, looking at the key that she was holding tight in her hand; she was going to talk to Cristina about making Arizona a copy of her own keys and get working on clearing out her own drawer.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think, as always! You guys are the best and I can't believe I broke 800 reviews! This is incredible. Thank you so much for reading!**


	29. The Best Worst Birthday Ever

"Robbins, Arizona," she said, smiling brightly at the check-in desk attendant, letting her dimples pop while he went down his list and checked off her name, then dug around in a box next to him to hand her a packet and a nametag.

"You're in Orientation Group Two, which is meeting over there," he pointed off to the left, where there were three other people already standing, "And your Orientation Leader will meet you over there shortly."

"Thank you!" she chirped back, her voice slightly higher just because of the sheer nerves in her stomach. Last week she had been selected to do her surgical residency at the best hospital in the nation, and here she was for her first day of orientation. Words could hardly describe the feeling running through her veins.

Pinning on her nametag, she looked around, seeing the other nineteen people who had all just sat through a lecture given by the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Tamas. Her speech had both stricken fear and admiration, and Arizona could tell that she wasn't the only person wondering, as Dr. Tamas had said, who would be the seven people who made it to the end of residency here.

They accepted twenty people in their surgical program. Second year, the numbers dwindled down to between fifteen and ten. Third year, they were down to about eight or nine. And by the end of fifth year, on average, only seven of them would remain. She wouldn't be one of the thirteen who failed, she thought, wiping her admittedly sweaty hands on the thighs of her black dress pants before walking over to her group.

Of the twenty people in the room, she recognized four others from Harvard Medical School. However, none of whom were in her own group. Coming closer, she saw how they were all standing about a foot away from each other, in silence. Like that was going to make any of them feel any less nervous, she thought, reaching out her hand, "Hi! I'm Arizona."

The first person to respond was a tall, scrawny man, with ashy blonde hair, who leaned forward and looked at her chest. Frowning, she brought her arms up, crossing them over herself, about to ask him what the hell he was doing, when he stuck out his hand, "You're from Harvard Med, then."

So, she supposed he might have been checking to see what school she was set to graduate from, as it was listed just under her name. Still, regarding him with slightly narrowed eyes, she read his nametag, "Yes. And apparently, you are Ben Spencer from Tufts."

The other girl standing with them practically hopped forward, clinging onto Ben's arm, "And I'm Sarah Newton, also from Tufts." Her voice was high pitched, and Arizona didn't like the way she looked like she was sizing her up, as if she would want her apparent boyfriend, when she had Callie at home.

She turned her attention to the second guy, who had scraggly black hair, and whose hands were slightly shaking even as he was standing away from the group. Giving him a small smile, she asked, "What's your name? I can't quite read it from this far away."

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard, "Uh, um, Kevin Rosenberg."

A throat was cleared loudly behind Arizona's back, "All right, that's enough introductions. Believe me, you'll be spending enough time with each other later in the year."

Spinning around, she came face to face with a woman who was her same height. She had brown eyes that skimmed over Arizona, and the three others that were standing slightly behind her, then back to the blonde, a glower apparent on her face. She had dark hair that was in a high ponytail, with thickly framed glasses.

"I'm Dr. Rachel Hayden," she said, then looked at them expectantly. When no one said anything, she lifted an eyebrow and scowled, "And you guys are?"

Arizona looked around at the other three people of her group, all of whom were looking uncertain at what she wanted them to do in response. Then she realized it was an unspoken agreement that it had been made her job to talk, "Um, you told us to stop with the introductions."

The eyes behind the glasses rolled, "I meant with each other. Unless you want me to just number you or something."

They went around and said their names, and which schools they were from, coming around to Arizona, lastly, and she mustered up as big a smile as she could as the disdainful face of Dr. Hayden, "I'm Arizona Robbins, currently attending Harvard Medical School."

Those eyes glared at her, still, making her feel uncomfortable, "Oh, is that right, _Arizona Robbins_?"

Taken aback, annoyed, she glanced around to the other members of the group, who all were just staring at the ground, before narrowing her eyes at this woman, "Yes…?"

But she didn't expand on her previous statement, just turning on her heel, "Well, it's my job along with Dr.'s Chao, Adler, Sanchez, and Li to be in charge of next year's interns," she said, pointing to the other current interns who were all with their respective groups, "Just because you're with me today doesn't necessarily mean I'll be your resident next year."

_Thank god for that_, she thought, careful to keep her mouth shut as she started to follow the other woman out of the room, still at the front of the small pack. Keeping up with the brisk pace, she asked, "What about you, Dr. Hayden? Where did you go to school?"

Her voice was clipped as they rounded a corner, "I don't think that's necessary information for you to know, Robbins."

"I was just being friendly," she snapped back, irritated at this Dr. Hayden for coming in and being so completely rude and snotty on a day that she'd been looking forward to, which was quickly killing her good mood.

Hayden stopped short, making Arizona stop short, causing Sarah to crash into Ben, who crashed into her and they all stumbled forward a few steps while the doctor crossed her arms, "Listen, you aren't here to be friendly. You're here to be shown a tour of the hospital and for me to answer any questions you might have. And quite frankly, I don't understand your excitement – yeah, you got in to the residency program here and that's great and all, but you haven't even begun the hard part. You still have to make sure you passed part two of your USMLE and your spot here is only contingent on you still passing all of your classes."

Crossing her arms, she felt the annoyance rise in her, making her throat tighten, "Actually, I've already passed my USMLE part two – I took them last year. And I'm not worried about my performance for this semester, _and_ I think I have every right to be excited about being here for orientation."

"Well, don't you just know everything then? Why am I even here? You should lead the group through the hospital and tell all of the facts since you're so knowledgeable. Good for you, looking forward to the future, fearlessly. But the truth of it all is that at least one of you here right now won't be here in five years, and starting to work as an intern is one of the most difficult things you will ever do. So look forward to it now, but I'm just saying that just because you got in doesn't mean the battle is over. You haven't even started it," she finished with a flourish, and smirked when Arizona didn't respond in an instant.

But that didn't mean she was quiet for long, "Excuse you, but there is absolutely no need to be so rude, –"

She was cut off, "I wasn't being rude; I was being realistic. People finish their residencies here with over twelve hundred cases they've worked on. They assist and complete research studies, and hundreds of conferences. You haven't even started any of that yet, and I'm not going to water down how difficult it is to stay a top competitor here. You're officially going to be starting the number one most difficult program in the country – you should probably be a bit more scared like one of those three," she said, gesturing toward Sarah and Ben, who were tightly clasping hands, and then Kevin, who stood feet back, looking like he was going to crap his pants.

The pager that was attached to the waistband of her scrubs went off, and she peered down at it over the top of her glasses then sighed, "I'm going to check on a patient – you guys stay here and I'll be back."

With that, she disappeared around the corner. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone, seeing that Callie had texted her. Hoping hearing from her girlfriend could brighten her rapidly souring mood, the read the message, _Hey birthday girl, how's your spring orientation going?_

Groaning, she hit the call button, leaning her back against the wall, not wasting a second after Callie picked up to ask, "How in the world did you know it was my birthday?"

She could hear the mocking lilt in her girlfriend's voice as she responded, "I happen to have let myself into your apartment – it seems someone has stolen my favorite pair of yoga pants…"

Unable to stop a grin coming up onto her face, she tilted her head back, resting it on the wall, "Oh? This someone must have spectacularly good taste."

"This someone might have better taste if she would buy them herself instead of slowly collecting all of her girlfriend's clothes into her own apartment. I swear, I'm going to have to start walking around naked," she joked.

Sighing at the mental image, she tipped her head back, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"And here I was thinking you didn't share," Callie teased, "And you're okay with me walking around naked for all of Boston to see?"

Her face instantly turned into a frown and she just imagined hundreds of other people seeing her girlfriend's goddess body, the jealousy burning a bitter trail in the back of her throat, "Definitely not sharing. Nope. In fact, I suggest you go buy a burka to wear when we're not in your or my apartment."

Callie's full-bodied laugh came through the speaker, bringing out Arizona's as well, "Mhmm, I'm sure that will be the next thing for me to buy from amazon." Then she got serious again, "And don't think you being all possessive is going to make me so hot that I forget that _it's your birthday and you didn't tell me_."

Now the smile was wiped away again, "Because it's not important," she said, lightly banging her head on the wall behind her.

"It is, though. Because you're my girlfriend and I want to – and should – know these simple facts about you. And what were you going to do by the time we've been together for a whole year and I asked about why your birthday never occurred? Say you don't have one?" she asked, and Arizona could hear that while she was joking, she also wanted an answer.

Groaning again, she reached one arm across her body, holding onto her elbow, "You didn't finish telling me how you found out."

She could hear Callie move around in the background, "As I was saying, I came to find some yoga pants and while I was in the bedroom, I saw a card lying in the trash, with some bright balloons on it. I said to myself, Callie, that's odd. So I picked it up and read it. Low and behold, it is a birthday card to you from your parents."

That stupid card. Her parents knew she hated celebrating her stupid birthday, and they still sent one of those sappy birthday cards, blowing her breath out in a huff, she rolled her eyes, "I didn't tell you because I don't celebrate my birthday. I think it's stupid. And pointless."

Callie's incredulousness was heard from miles away, "This is coming from the woman who scolded me when I didn't tell you when my birthday was a week away? You planned out a celebration for us to have on my birthday, but you don't even tell me when yours is?"

Feeling frustrated, she closed her eyes tightly, "I just don't like my birthday, Calliope. Please don't push me on it and just act like it's any other day – because it really is. There is nothing special about today. I mean it, don't do anything out of the ordinary."

"Okay," Callie said in that light tone, that Arizona knew she only used when she was unhappy or lying.

Opening her mouth to respond, she heard hurried, impatient footsteps coming toward her, and she looked up to see Dr. Rachel Hayden fast on her trail, glaring daggers, "Calliope, I mean it. Seriously."

"Mhmm," her girlfriend spoke back, in _that_ tone, that made the blonde even more frustrated.

As the angry doctor approached, she pushed herself off the wall, "I have to go." Pulling the phone away from her ear, she heard Callie hurriedly say "I love you," before the call was disconnected.

"Robbins," the brunette stopped in front of her, her hands on her hips, "Making personal phone calls already?"

Already done with this day, she bit back the bitchier comments that wanted to leave her mouth, "I'm sorry, but when you ran off your only order to us was to stay here, not that we couldn't use our cell phones."

Eyes flashed at her, "I really don't like your attitude."

Holding onto her last bit of patience, she bit her lip, "Am I missing something? Have I done something to you in the last ten minutes that we've known each other to make you dislike me?"

Shaking her head, Rachel let out a deep breath, "I told you – I don't like your attitude. But you know what? I'll move on, because whoever you were talking to, you're going to have a lot less time to talk when you start your residency. You'll all learn that all of your personal lives will completely change, if not halt, when you start here in July. How about we get on with the tour?"

The rest of her afternoon was spent in the same fashion. Every time she wanted to say anything, she was shot down by Dr. Rachel Hayden; she hadn't even started her intern year yet, but she already made an enemy. Just lovely, really.

In all actuality, this afternoon that was supposed to make today a good day just made her feel more nervous about starting work. All she wanted at this point was to crawl into bed with Callie – possibly with some chocolate doughnuts – and rest her head against that part of her girlfriend's neck where she just _fit_ and breathe her in. Forget about what day of the year it was and how crappy one of her possible overseeing residents might be was.

As if Callie could read her mind, she got a text just as she left the hospital front doors, _Hey babe, come over to my place. I made dinner_.

Despite the metaphoric cloud looming over her head, she felt just the slightest of smiles tug at her lips, **I just got out of orientation. I can't wait to tell you all about it… absolutely miserable.**

Walking across the parking lot to get to the nearest subway station, she nearly jumped out of her skin as a car honked loudly at her. Holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart, she looked at the person driving. Of course, it was Rachel, who rolled her window down, "Excuse me, but you're not on a crosswalk. And you probably shouldn't be looking at your phone as you walk across a busy parking lot."

Was this woman kidding her? The crosswalk was literally inches away, and she made a show of taking one exaggerated step so she was standing on it, "Is this better? And just to let you know – I'm a pedestrian; I always have the right of way."

God, her middle finger was just itching to come up and flash in that direction, but she kept her fists clenched and head facing forward. She kept her pace fast, and practically marched to Callie's apartment, already itching to get out of these stupid dress clothes and into her girlfriend's comfy ones. The thought of which made her just a bit happier; she didn't know what it was about wearing Callie's clothes that she liked so much, but she had taken to wearing them as though they were her own.

Hence Callie having to root through Arizona's apartment to find her own pants. Reaching into her pocket to draw out her keys as she approached the apartment building, she felt that happiness grow even more, seeing her girlfriend's key on her keychain next to her own. She'd received it, even though she told Callie that she didn't need a key just to reciprocate her giving Callie a key, last week. Only a day after she'd given Callie hers.

Entering the building, she looked at the stairs, then shook her head. Today was the kind of day to take the elevator. Within moments, she was back out, and her purse felt ridiculously heavy on her shoulder as she walked toward the door. So, so ready for some homemade Callie cooking and to lie in bed. Maybe even slip in a Disney movie, and cuddle for a bit before dozing off. Plus, it looked like it was going to rain, so it was definitely the best sort of lazy night.

Reaching her hand out, she found that the door was locked. Confused – Callie had told her to come to her apartment less than a half hour ago – she dug out the keys she'd slipped back into her purse and slid one into the lock. As she swung open the door, she saw that the lights were off, dimming the place.

Frowning, she reached her hand over to the left where she knew the switch was, and called out, "Calliope?" just as she flicked the light on.

And practically had a heart attack, panic shooting through her, as what felt like hundreds of people jumped out from ridiculous hiding places, screaming, "Surprise!"

"Holy fucking shit!" She screamed back, her heart still pounding against her ribs, as she tripped over her own feet and falling painfully onto her ass on the hard ground.

"Arizona! Are you all right?" Callie – she knew it was her girlfriend even though she had her eyes squeezed tightly closed – rushed forward.

As tan hands wrapped around hers, to help her up, she pulled away, and pushed herself up, going from shocked to furious in zero seconds, "Are you kidding me, Calliope? I told you I wanted you to treat today like any other day! That doesn't entail inviting everyone you know, everyone I know, and then some over for a party," she hissed, trying hard to keep her voice from raising and yelling for everyone to hear.

The Latina was dressed in a short, tight black dress that she knew Arizona loved – and Arizona really did love it. But not right now. "I just… it's your birthday and you sounded like you weren't having the best day on the phone, so I wanted to do something."

Reaching out to take Callie by the hand, then pulling her out into the hallway and away from all of the guests who were watching with interest, she crossed her arms, "I did have a bad day; even worse than my usual birthdays. And I did want you to do something; I wanted to have a dinner with you – just you – and snuggle and tell you about everything from orientation. Not – not a freaking party."

Big brown eyes were wide, and she could see genuine upset as Callie bit her lip, "I'm sorry. But it's your birthday! And I didn't know, and I didn't have time to get you anything or to plan anything, so this was the best I could do on such short notice. And I just don't understand why you don't want to do anything at all to celebrate."

Irritation pushed words out of her mouth, feeling even more dismayed thinking of all the people on the other side of that door, ready to burst out and scream happy birthday, "Because nothing good happens on my birthday – when I was six, I broke my wrist. When I was eleven, my grandmother went into the hospital and then died two days later, and when I turned seventeen, Tim got deployed for the first time. And today – today my awesome, awesome residency program dream that I've wanted since forever, turned into something I'm nervous about. Birthdays, especially mine, suck." Seeing Callie open her mouth, she held up her hand, "I'm mad that you couldn't just respect my wishes when I told you I didn't want you to make today into something. But I don't – can't – argue with you right now because I'm just too tired."

Callie reached out, in a motion that Arizona knew would lead to an embrace, but she just stepped back, for once not in the mood to be touched by her girlfriend, and the action clearly hurt her girlfriend, "Arizona… I'm –"

Shaking her head, she wrapped her own arms tight around herself, "I'm just going to go home, okay? I'll text you later."

As soon as she was out of the building, she felt bad. All she could see was the emotion in Callie's expressive eyes, in her entire face, really, and she wanted to apologize. She protected the things she loved; she didn't cause pain. But that slightly guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach wasn't big enough to overpower the frustration and annoyance that was still burning her up. The last thing she wanted was for people to make a big deal out of today, of this stupid date, especially when she felt already defeated for the day.

As soon as she got back to her own apartment, she kicked the door shut behind her, locked it, then went straight for her bedroom. Her stomach grumbled in hunger, but that could be ignored in favor of lying down under her covers and just forgetting Dr. Rachel Hayden and her first real irritation at Callie.

So she stripped off her shirt and pants, and pulled on a pair of sweats, her own for once, just on principle, and climbed topless into her bed from the foot, slithering up under the covers until the top of her head hit the bottom of her pillow. Not even lifting it up to go onto the pillow, she just rested her cheek against her sheets and shut her eyes.

Just one of those stupid days.

And then her eyes flipped open as there was a pounding on her door. Well, she was just going to pretend she wasn't home, because there was no way she was getting up right now. Then, as she heard the door swinging open, she squeezed her eyes closed and pulled the comforter above her head, knowing Callie had come after her.

"Arizona?" her girlfriend's husky voice called into her apartment, but she didn't answer. Then footsteps came closer, until she heard them pause in her doorway, and she still didn't move from under the blankets, "Arizona? I can see your feet poking out from under the blanket."

Sighing, but still not moving, she kicked the comforter down so it covered her, "There. Feet are gone. Please go away, Calliope. I don't want to talk about my stupid birthday."

Cold air hit her skin as the Latina yanked her blanket right off her body, and before she could roll over to look up at her, the backs of her thighs were straddled by long, caramel legs, and despite the fact that she was still annoyed, her back automatically arched into talented hands as they rested just above her butt, on her bare lower back.

"Well, sorry, but that's too bad. I'm sorry that this day has historically been a bad one for you, but –" she cut herself off as Arizona tried to roll around, and she locked her legs in place, making it so Arizona was stuck lying on her stomach, "Too bad, you're going to have to listen to me when I say this. I get that today is not something you like to celebrate, and yes, I should have respected your wishes and not tried to throw you a surprise party. That was bad thinking on my part."

Snorting out a laugh as those strong hands started to work over her back in a delicious massage, she felt as if they were rubbing away her annoyance as well as her tension, and her body practically melted onto the mattress, as she muttered, "You think?"

Callie drew her hands down the smooth, pale back under her hands, then went back up to touch on the large knots the blonde was carrying in her neck, as she continued, "So, Arizona, I am sorry about that. But I'm not sorry about wanting to celebrate today with you; the thing is, I _want_ to celebrate today. Because today, April fourth, is the day that you came into this world, and maybe you don't think that that's worth celebrating, but I know it is because you are the best thing in my life right now, and you're amazing."

Groaning as those magical hands – why would she ever mock Calliope for deciding she wanted to go into ortho already when she was so fucking good with bones? She knew just where to touch with the right amount of pressure, as she skimmed her hand down Arizona's back on either side of her vertebrae. Finally, she was able to wiggle enough to turn over, surprising the Latina, whose hands came to rest on her hips.

As much as the massage felt amazing, she wanted to see her girlfriend as she reached down and took those hands in her own, locking their fingers together, "I love you."

Callie leaned in, her dark hair that she'd done in the side-swept way that Arizona really loved, fell forward to curtain both of their faces, whispering just an inch away from her lips, "I love you, too."

Before their lips connected, she added on, "And thank you for leaving the party you arranged for me."

Callie pushed herself up onto her forearms, and the grin she sent down made shivers walk down the blonde's spine, "I left one party for a better one. A private one. With my amazing girlfriend. I said I wanted to celebrate, and I still fully intend on doing so."

Lifting an eyebrow, she bit her bottom lip as the beginnings of arousal started to swim through her, "Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm," her girlfriend hummed back, but then swung her legs off of Arizona, then off the bed, landing on the ground. She leaned over to a bag that Arizona hadn't even realized she'd brought, then took out the strap-on they'd used a few weeks ago on Callie's birthday. She tingled, feeling wetness drip between her thighs, just remembering it.

Licking her lips, she reached for the toy, "Do you want me to –"

Callie cut her off, "Nope," she said, dropping the object onto the bed, then reaching up and undoing her zipper, drawing it down her back. Arizona watched, her throat dry as her girlfriend peeled off the dress she'd out on just for her, then moaned as it fell to the ground, revealing nothing underneath.

Her eyes were glued to large breasts, aching to touch, as the realization hit, "Wait, you want to…?"

Callie licked her lips as she crawled back onto the bed, up the blonde's body, whispering, "I want to fuck you with the strap-on," as she pulled Arizona's bottom lip between her own, then released it seconds later as Arizona let out a shuddering breath, "If that's okay with you?"

The idea of Callie being so deep inside of her, with a toy that _she'd_ once used to be so deeply connected with _her_ was more than okay to her. It sounded fucking wonderful, and she brought her hands up, tangling them in dark locks, tugging her forward into a kiss so rushed their teeth clashed together.

Moaning into Callie's mouth, her hands went to roll already hard nipples, absorbing the Latina's returning moan into her mouth. Long, caramel fingers hooked into the waistband of her sweatpants, tugging down as she jerked her mouth away, "These aren't mine."

Panting, she looked down, "Well, I was annoyed. And besides, I thought you wanted me to stop taking all of your clothes."

Shaking her head roughly, she dipped down, taking one of Arizona's nipples into her mouth and scraping her teeth against it, mumbling against her flesh, "No. You keep wearing my clothes; I like it."

"Yeah," she breathed out, threading her hands back through thick, black hair, and urging her mouth back against the tip of her breast, groaning as a strong tongue lapped against her. As she switched sides, Arizona's hips jerked up against her, her core dripping already, and she reached out to grip Callie's wrist, dragging her hand down, "Touch me."

The Latina's fingers made contact with her hot center, her middle fingers slipping through her folds, her mouth planting an open mouth kiss between the blonde's breasts, "Shit, Arizona."

She hummed in response, her eyes closing tightly, and her hand clasped around her girlfriend's wrist, as two long fingers dipped inside, and her mouth fell open, "Yes… now. Put it on, now," she commanded, kneeling and reaching for the strap-on, handing it to Callie.

As soon as it was slid up and adjusted, surprisingly strong hands reached up and pushed the Latina backwards, so she fell onto the pillows. Within seconds, Arizona climbed on top of her, capturing her lips once more as she swung her leg over her hips. Disconnecting their mouths, they both looked down their bodies, anticipation building as she grabbed the dildo with one hand, then started to lower herself.

When she was all the way down, they both moaned, Callie's dark head pushing back into the pillow while Arizona's fell onto her shoulder, "Fuck," falling from her lips. Taking a few breaths, shivering at the full feeling, she leaned forward and braced her hands on Callie's shoulders, lifting her hips up, then bringing them back down.

They built a rhythm quickly, pleasure coiling inside of her, and it wasn't long before she felt close to the edge of orgasm. Then Callie's hand reached forward, her index finger swiping over Arizona's clit, making her mouth fall open, eyes opening widely, staring into the nearly black ones of her girlfriend underneath her.

A strangled scream ripped from the back of her throat, as her walls clenched tightly around the base, and her nails dug into Callie's shoulders. She could feel the subtle vibrations of Callie's still moving hips, rocking the toy in the most elusive, incredible rhythm. Her hips bucked and jerked against the Latina's, pressing in so tightly as her orgasm tore through her, robbing her of all of her breath.

After it passed, she fell forward, her arms no longer having enough strength to hold her up, her entire body pressed against Callie's, while her heart still beat powerfully in her chest, and she could feel Callie's doing the same from underneath her.

Then they were flipped so she was on the bottom, and her eyes snapped shut at the feeling of the strap-on moving in her after she'd already come so hard. Callie's voice was harsh in her ear, peppered with pauses because of her panting, "Shit – fuck – I – can you take more?"

Knowing how the toy worked, and how Callie must be feeling the intense pressure against her clit, she nodded, her mouth falling open, but words not able to come out. But her nod was all her girlfriend needed, as she slowly pulled out, inch by inch, so far that Arizona's eyes fluttered open in question, before they thrust back in, just as deeply as before.

Her hips powered in long, deep thrusts, and she could feel Callie grinding on the inward thrust, feel her quaking above her, and before long, her body was building that same feeling again. The best kind of pressure and heat built in her stomach and she reached her hands down, gripping the Latina's hips, gasping, "Faster," because she was going to come again, and she needed to feel her girlfriend come with her.

And Callie complied, jabbing her hips in quick, short thrusts, bringing Arizona closer and closer… she brought her legs up and snapped them around her girlfriend's waist, then wrapped her arms around her shoulders, holding her still. Then she ground their hips together, the pressure against her clit almost sending her over, and then as Callie started to jerk against her, moaning, "Arizona," into her ear, she knew she could finally jump off the edge.

Toes curling, all of her muscles tensed, as another orgasm pounded throughout her body, wreaking havoc on her nerves, her head falling back and she could hear her own unintelligible moans leaving her body. When it was over, pleasure still swirling around in her veins, keeping her head in that pleasantly foggy place, she stared at her ceiling still panting for air.

Callie was completely on top of her, all of her weight just collapsed, while her head rested next to Arizona's on the pillow. Long minutes went by as she felt Callie's hot breaths puff against her shoulder, her own out into the evening air, before she was able to speak, "I think you literally just fucked my brains out."

Feeling the body on top of hers shake in laughter, shudders erupted all over her body as a slick tongue traced over her ear and Callie's voice answered, "Nope, it's still in your head."

Laughing herself, she lightly scratched her nails up and down Callie's back, then flinched as the Latina shifted and they both became aware of the toy still between the blonde's legs. As gently as possible, Callie pulled out, then rolled out of the bed, to shimmy out of the straps. Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she frowned as her girlfriend started to leave the room, "Where are you going?"

Callie sent her that sly smile over her shoulder, "I'll be right back. You don't move. Stay right there."

And because she felt like all of the muscles she'd had in her body had now evaporated, she sank back down onto her back, only lifting her head up when she heard her girlfriend come back in. A smile claimed her face, seeing the plate stacked high with doughnuts, as well as a glass of water. Taking the drink first, she chugged over half of it down, then offered it to Callie in exchange for the doughnut plate.

Callie slid back into bed, placing the glass on the bedside table, before taking a doughnut for herself, "I bought these instead of a cake. I thought you might prefer it."

Laughing, she swallowed the bite she'd taken, "I absolutely do."

A tan hand reached out, smoothing blonde hair back behind her ear, "Why don't you tell me about your orientation? Why wasn't it everything you thought it would be?"

Letting out a sigh, she reached for another doughnut, and scowled just thinking about, "Dr. Rachel Hayden. She was terrible," she told all her experiences with the woman to her girlfriend, who continued to massage her scalp, which served to make her much more relaxed.

"She sounds horrible," Callie agreed, her fingers working magic to keep Arizona's stress at bay, "But maybe she was trying to be tough on you to prepare you for the work ahead?"

Shrugging, she pressed her face against Callie's neck, "I don't know. And then she made this comment about how our personal lives will completely change, and I don't want us to change, Calliope. But what if we do? It's not going to be the way it is now; there are only one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week, and I'm going to be spending at least eighty of them at the hospital…"

Leaning down to press her lips against Arizona's forehead, she sighed, "Baby, we'll figure it out. Don't stress about something that is still three months away, okay?"

Inhaling Callie's scent, mixed with sex now, which made it even better, she nodded, "Okay." And she supposed orientation wasn't all bad. If anything, it opened her eyes to the fact that her life was going to be undergoing serious changes, sooner rather than later.

Closing her eyes as those full lips pressed a kiss into the crown of her head, Callie whispered, "Can I wish you a happy birthday?"

"I guess so," she sighed heavily, though not meaning any real sentiment behind it.

Callie laughed a little, "I mean, I did fuck your brains out and bring you doughnuts." She waited a beat, then whispered, "Happy twenty-sixth birthday."

This was the first time in... she didn't know how long that she wasn't going to spend the night unhappy and alone on her birthday, and it wasn't just due to the sex and the snacks. It was just... Callie, she thought, a small smile playing on her lips, "Thank you."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to comment and tell me their thoughts on what is going on, you guys are all the best. Thank you for reading!**


	30. Commencement

Callie heard Arizona's groan of frustration as she entered the apartment even though her girlfriend was in the bedroom. Lifting an eyebrow in curiosity and confusion, she walked toward the open door, "What are you so frustrated about?"

The sight in front of her made her stop short: the blonde was standing in a powder blue bra and black, lacy boy-short underwear, and nothing else. Meanwhile, clothes were thrown everywhere – on the bed, the dresser, the floor. It looked like a bomb went off in the closet, blowing outwards all of the room, and she couldn't help but feel amused, as Arizona normally kept everything neat and tidy.

Her hands were settled on the pale, bare skin of her waist, fingers tapping against her abdomen as she stared at the spill of clothes in front of her, "I have nothing to wear under my gown!"

Unable to stop herself from smiling even though she could see Arizona felt she was in a crisis, she said, "Why don't you just go with what you have on now? I think it works well for you."

Blue eyes narrowed at her, and she snarled, "Not funny, Calliope," as she turned back around to look at what was still hanging in her closet, "These are my only options left! All of the Absolutely Not's are on the floor, and the Maybe-But-Only-If-I-Have-To's are on the dresser, and the I-Guess-These-Will-Have-To-Do's are on the bed," she explained.

With a sigh, she put her purse down on the dresser, next to one of the piles and walked forward, slipping her arms around Arizona's waist and pulling her backwards, resting her chin on her shoulder and breathing in the smell of her freshly washed and straightened hair. Arizona pouted, resisting the hold for about a second before leaning into her, resting her hands on Callie's forearms that held just above the waistline of her underwear.

Turning her head to press a light kiss into the skin of Arizona's neck, she then paused there, nuzzling in, whispering, "What's really going on? You have an immeasurable amount of gorgeous clothes to pick from; this is not just about your clothes."

"I'm graduating today!" she exclaimed, turning in Callie's arms so they were face to face and the Latina could see the nerves written all over her girlfriend's face, "It's a big deal! And what I wear under my gown matters, too. What if I'm too cold? What if I'm too hot? What if it rains?"

"What if it snows? What if there's an earthquake? And, babe, it's inside." Callie added on, laughing, only managing to go back to a straight face when Arizona glared at her. Tracing her hands up the blonde's sides, until she hit her bra, she slid back down, rubbing her fingers in circles as she went, "Arizona. You have graduated twice before, high school and undergrad. Why are you so worried about what to wear to this one?"

A pale finger poked into Callie's shoulder, "Point of fact, Calliope, I did not walk in my high school graduation. I had the flu and could barely get out of bed."

Reaching up, a tan hand grabbed that finger, then readjusted to take her hand and spin her around, "All right, all right, smarty pants. Close your eyes."

Arizona did as she was told, squeezing her eyes tight… then peeked them open, only to find her girlfriend's brown ones staring into hers from an inch away. Surprised, she giggled despite the whirlwind of emotions running rampant through her body, "What, you don't trust me to keep them closed?"

"Nope, and obviously I was right. Now close and stay closed," Callie commanded, and this time, she shut her eyes while listening to her girlfriend move about the room.

Her frustration and nervousness and anxiety and… whatever else she was feeling wasn't exactly about what to wear, Callie had that right. She felt overwhelmed by the intensity and fast pace in which everything was happening, and she didn't know if she was going to be ready for it. Her girlfriend's voice broke her out of her thoughts, commanding, "Arms up." Keeping her eyes closed regardless of how much they wanted to open, she did as she was told, and felt material slide over her skin, then Callie's nimble fingers zipped up the back, her voice grumbling, "I spend so much time taking you out of your clothes, it feels criminal to be putting them back on."

And there her girlfriend was, she thought as a pleasant feeling came in to battle with all of the others, making her smile even when she could hardly think straight. Curious to see what she chose, she asked, "Can I look now?"

Callie's breath was hot on her neck, making goose bumps pop up, and she whispered, "So impatient. Just wait a second."

Smoothing her hands down over the soft fabric of the blue dress she'd chosen for the blonde, she double checked it to make sure it was the right choice. Given that it was almost a week into May, the weather was fairly warm; warm enough for the casually dressy sun dress she'd taken out of the closet, with thin straps that went over her creamy shoulders, then zigzagged once over her upper back before fading into where the dress started mid-back. The front, even though she wasn't facing her, cinched at the waist in a little tie and the top was cut to reveal modest cleavage. It fell to her knees, just short enough so it wouldn't hang below the graduation gown.

With the soft light colored locks hanging just below her shoulder blades, she looked… miraculous. She looked adorable and sexy and ready to take on the world, and she made Callie's stomach flutter and her heart race. When Callie would say "she just knew" this was how. That feeling, and the way she could look at her girlfriend and know that she belonged there with her, that was "just knowing."

As her hands got lower, she dragged them down and lightly pinched the tight butt she'd spent hours watching, kneading, gripping. She grinned as Arizona jumped just a little, "Callie!"

Laughing, she traced her hand back up, coming to rest it on the blonde's hip, "Okay, okay, open your eyes."

They faced the mirror, and Callie watched from behind as those baby blue's opened and ran down her reflection, then connected with hers. Arizona bit her lip, smiling a soft smile, "Good choice. I love it."

"Well, it is your own dress," she threw back, chuckling when her girlfriend scrunched up her face at her in the mirror.

As Arizona shifted forward, reaching for a bobby pin to swoop back her hair so it would look good under the cap, she swore she could literally feel love swimming in her veins with her blood. They had come so, so far. Eight and a half months ago, they'd had sex for the first time – and Arizona wouldn't even tell her what her name was.

Then they'd been "strictly sex buddies with strings" – she couldn't help but roll her eyes at that one. It was only months ago, but it felt like forever that she'd asked Arizona out on dates but would continuously be shot down.

"What?" Arizona asked, drawing her away from her thoughts, as she turned, leaning against her dresser, eyes wide and imploring.

She looked down at her, confused, "What? I didn't say anything?"

"You rolled your eyes. I'm being stupid, being nervous about graduation. Right?" she picked nonexistent lint off her dress before crossing her arms, her expression uncertain and slightly sullen.

Before she could go on, Callie stopped her, "No, you're not being stupid. I was rolling my eyes because I was just thinking about how much things – between us – have changed since the beginning of the year. When you started classes this year, did you think that at your graduation I would be letting myself into your apartment with my own key?"

Her face shifted seamlessly into her sunny smile, revealing her dimples as she shook her head, "No, when I started classes this year, I thought I was screwed because there was this incredibly gorgeous woman who I had already spent my two night limit with looking at me with sexy dark eyes. I pretty much spent that first month wanting you so badly I didn't know what to do with myself." She reached up, hands landing on either side of Callie's jaw, thumbs stroking her skin.

Before she could say anything else, her phone blasted from in her purse a foot away. Arizona reached for it, and the way her mouth fell open and her eyes snapped to Callie's in a rush made her laugh, "Give me the phone, babe."

But Arizona stood still, holding it tightly in her hands, "Why is my mother calling you?"

She made a grab, the blonde evaded, then pressed talk, "Hello, mother. You've abandoned me in favor of my girlfriend after only having met her two months ago?"

Sticking out her tongue, she took her phone back, "It's back to being Callie," she said into the receiver while Arizona leaned up onto her tip toes, pressing her ear against the phone.

Barbara's voice was full of mirth, "I just wanted to make sure you were both going to be ready to go out to dinner after commencement. Or if we have to stop by one of your apartments, that'll be fine, too. Daniel just wants to have the plans solidified. He gets all in a tizzy if we don't have the schedule all planned."

She laughed as she heard him protest in the background, then looked at both she and Arizona, "Yes, we'll both be ready."

"Okay, wonderful. Well, we're already here because we wanted to get seats right near the section Arizona's going to be walking from. We saved you a seat, so just let us know when you get here!" her girlfriend's mother said, and Callie could hear the excitement in her voice.

Glancing at her watch – it had been longer than she thought it would be – she answered, "Great! We'll be leaving soon."

"Perfect! We'll see you soon, then," her voice then became muffled, as if she wasn't speaking into the receiver, and she quickly returned back to the phone, "All right, bye!"

Weird, she thought, then dipped her phone back into her purse. The look on her girlfriend's face making her laugh once again, a slight pout with her arms crossed, "Don't laugh, Calliope. This is a concerning matter. My own mother is calling you on the morning on my graduation and not me! How often do you two speak?"

With a noncommittal shrug, she brushed the question off, "Not often. Barely ever." When blue eyes narrowed, the intensity in them making her stomach so a little flip, she blushed a little, "Okay, maybe once a week. Give or take. Do you not want us to?" Because she really, really liked talking to Barbara, and occasionally Daniel when he would take over the phone. It made her miss her parents both more and less at the same time, but if it made Arizona uncomfortable, she supposed she would give it up.

Arizona sighed, but shook her head, "No, no, I don't mind. I mean, it's a little strange, and I wonder what you've been talking about," she fixed Callie with an exaggerated lifting of her eyebrow, "But I think it's kind of nice that you get along so well with them."

Her words lifted a weight off Callie's chest; she would have stopped talking to Arizona's parents if her girlfriend thought it was too weird that they talked often, but the idea made her just slightly depressed, "Good. And we mostly just talk about school stuff or my classes. Occasionally how you're doing when your mom doesn't believe that you're taking enough time off from stressors," she teased.

This past month, since Arizona's birthday, had been crunch time for both of them. The end of the semester always was, but especially this one – Callie had to arrange for her USMLE step 2 test, which had to be taken at a clinical testing center in Philadelphia, and subsequently had to start studying for that, along with completing her clinical hours and preparing for upcoming finals, the most difficult of which wouldn't even take place until next week.

And Arizona had been so busy she'd hardly had time to sleep. Not only did she have to so all of her finals and papers, as well as her TA responsibilities by helping Webber grade his classes finals, but she also had her thesis defense. Which had been about how to expand upon use of elasticity in the brain, and had been very well thought out, researched and written over a period of several months, but despite Callie reassuring her that it was perfect, Arizona had edited and rewritten it several times over.

Their weekends had been spent together, mostly curled up in one of their beds, with their separate textbooks and laptops at hand, and most weeknights had been in the library. But despite their business, that was just it – they'd managed to spend much of it together, feeling time breathe down their necks _together_.

The blonde shrugged, "Well, maybe I was a little worked up over some of my assignments. But they're all done now!" She sounded like she was trying to be excited, but the smile she flashed didn't reach her eyes.

Lifting her hand, she brought it under Arizona's chin, forcing her eyes to look into Callie's, "Hey, that's what I've wanted to know since I got in here. You're graduating today; you have been waiting and working for this day for years, and you just don't seem so happy about it. Tell me what's wrong."

Arizona closed her eyes tightly, drooping her head a little so it rested more firmly into her hand, "I wasn't just upset about not being able to find something good to wear under my gown," she admitted, but they'd both known that already, and she continued, "I just… there's a lot going on. I should be excited – and I am, but not as much as I know I should be. I've… I've spent twenty-six years being in school and working toward this goal and finally, now that it's here, all I can think about is what's going to happen next? And if things don't go exactly right, like if I get fired or if you and I change, then what am I going to do then?"

All normal things to worry about, Callie knew, and she leaned in, dropping her arms around her girlfriend's waist, pulling her in tightly against her, whispering against her ear, "It's all going to be okay. You are _not_ going to get fired – you are going to be amazing. And things will change between us, sweetie, they have to. Everything changes. But that doesn't mean it'll be bad. We'll take everything as it comes, and adjust. All right?"

She felt Arizona nod against her, before her forehead dropped against her shoulder, and Callie brought up her hand to stroke down her hair, and Arizona's next words made the realization of the root of all of these anxiety manifestations make sense. Muffled against her shoulder was, "Tim didn't call on Sunday. Or Monday. Or at all this week. And I kept my skype signed in all day, every day, and he didn't tell me he was going to miss a week."

Oh. Lightly running her hands up the toned back, she felt Arizona's arms snake around her waist and hold on tight, and she knew that was the blonde telling her what she needed. So she brought her arms down and wrapped around her, pulling her in so close against her own body she could feel Arizona's heartbeat against her chest.

They stood entwined for a few minutes, and she felt powerless. She couldn't whisper assurances about Tim to her girlfriend, because she didn't know. It wasn't like Arizona's residency where she knew for a fact that her girlfriend would kickass; she couldn't promise her brother's safety, and even if she did, Arizona wouldn't believe her.

So she held.

Minutes later, Arizona rubbed her face against her shoulder briefly, and Callie could feel her inhale against her skin before pulling back, "Thank you," she whispered.

Giving them space between them, she loosened her hold around her girlfriend's waist but didn't let go, "You never need to thank me for holding you."

Arizona didn't respond, only got up on her tip-toes and brushed their lips together. Callie took the next step, urging her mouth open with her tongue, barely getting the opportunity to dip inside before the blonde pulled back, "Uh, uh. I ran out of smudge proof lipstick, and we are running low on time."

Dropping her hands, Callie let out an embellished sigh, "When did I become the overly horny one here?"

The blonde let out a laugh, "The same day I did, baby, so stop trying to act like you're little miss innocent. If I recall correctly, you were the one who got me off while we were sitting in the library a few days ago…"

A moan slipped past her lips at the memory. They'd hardly had any time together where they'd been able to really relax, and in the times that they did for the last month, they both generally ended up falling asleep. And when they were in the library a few days ago, marking a week that they hadn't had sex, Arizona had been wearing one of her short black skirts, and all Callie could think about while they were supposed to be preparing for their Vertebrae Development final, was how easy it would be to slip her hand up one of those smooth thighs, and into her girlfriend's heat.

So she had. Her arousal sky-rocketed just thinking about it… the way Arizona had tightened around her while biting on the end of her pen as to not make a peep so none of the people at surrounding tables would get suspicious… Shuddering, she narrowed her eyes at her girlfriends, seeing the smug grin on her face, "Mean."

"Not mean," Arizona corrected, and leaned over to grab for the box that sat on the edge of the dresser that contained the cap and gown she'd purchased weeks ago, then handed Callie her purse as well. As their fingers brushed, she expanded, "Because between now and July first, there is almost two months of free time we'll have. Two months where our schedules are completely open for each other."

She turned and started out of the room, and Callie followed her, nodding like an idiot. After locking the apartment door behind them, they made the short walk hand in hand to where the commencement ceremony would be held, in a large theater on campus. The streets were backed up with traffic, parents and other family members piling in to see one of their loved ones graduate from an Ivy League university.

They stopped outside of the entrance Arizona had to go in through, where all of the med school graduates had to enter. The blonde eyed the double doors, "I guess I'll see you on the other side."

Leaning down, mindful of the non-smudge proof lipstick, she pressed her lips feather-light against her girlfriend's, then leaned back to make sure there was no damage done, "Try to be happy, Arizona. No matter what else might be going on, this is still a good day."

"Mhmm," her girlfriend replied, then she took a deep breath and straightened her spine, "I'm going in. I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, giving the pale hand holding onto hers a small squeeze, before letting it go, "Don't trip. Be confident. You're amazing. You can do anything. I love you!" She called again, as a dimpled smile was thrown her way before Arizona pushed through the doors. She got one last look at the back of her girlfriend, her legs and butt looking amazing in the dress, even better with the cream-white wedged sandals. Even though Callie knew she was nervous, she didn't show it, strutting in like she owned the place. Her only give away being the way her knuckles turned slightly white holding the cap and gown box.

She stood there until the doors shut, before locating the guest entrance she needed to enter from to find the Robbins. Walking down the rows of seats, she tried searching over the masses of people, before a voice called her name out from her right. Recognizing it as Barbara's, she turned and was immediately embraced in a hug, "Callie! You look great. How is Arizona? Is she nervous? She usually gets that way before things like this. But she always looks so elegant and beautiful up on the stage," the older woman nodded.

"Yeah, she's a little nervous, but she's working through it. She's going to be great; she already is," Callie confirmed, smiling at the shorter woman.

She could _feel_ the pride vibrating off Barbara in spades, "I can't believe it. Arizona has been working for this since she was five – that is over twenty years. I mean, I know you know that. But I just…"

She gave her shoulder a pat in understanding, "It's okay. I get it." And she did. This was Arizona's mom, about to see her daughter graduate medical school, after supporting her through her dreams of being a doctor for more than twenty years.

She'd only had her girlfriend in her life for less than a year, and she felt immensely proud herself. Recalling the way Arizona had looked with the black graduation gown on, with the cap and red tassel, as well as the red stole to place over her shoulders for her academic achievements… she didn't know if it was normal to feel that swell of pride, but she did. Her girlfriend was graduating today, from Harvard Medical School, magna cum laude, and damn right, she was damn proud of her.

"Robbins, Arizona Leigh. Graduating from Harvard Medical School, magna cum laude honors," she announcer spoke her name, causing her heart to beat wildly in her chest, twin peaks of both excitement and anxiety running through her.

Standing, she could hear the loud clapping as she walked forward, and her amusement won out over her nerves when she walked past the "A" section, and she saw Teddy's hand peeking out, begging for a high-five as she passed. Laughing, she completed the high-five as incognito as she could with thousands of pairs of eyes on her.

Walking up the stairs to the stage, it was like her whole world just came to focus in slow motion on this moment. She was receiving her medical degree, after taking AP classes in high school, pushing herself even when she wanted to give up in undergrad, and even switching medical schools. She was here.

Dr. Webber was standing in for the chair of the department, who would normally be handing out the degrees and shaking the hands of the graduates but he was so old he couldn't be on his feet for that amount of time. Which made her feel that much better as she reached the top. Any nerves she had dissipated, and she truly felt the one door closing, another opening moment in the best way possible.

As she reached him, she felt a smile break out on her face, so big it made her cheeks hurt, but she couldn't stop. He smiled at her, and shook one of her hands in his while handing her the degree, "Congratulations, _Dr_. Robbins."

Dr. Robbins. The power and the meaning of the words surged through her, almost heady enough to make her light-headed, "Thank you, sir."

Clasping the degree tightly, thankful for the hard case over it to protect from any crushing she might have accidentally inflicted, she made her way back to her seat, scanning the crowd briefly but couldn't spot her parents or girlfriend in the masses of people. It was okay; she would see them in just a few more minutes, considering there were hardly any people behind her.

Dr. Robbins. _Dr._ Robbins. Dr. _Robbins_. _Dr. Robbins._ She couldn't stop chanting the words to herself in repetition. Flipping the cover open, she stared at it, her stomach home to the world's largest butterflies as she traced her fingers over the lettering.

Before she knew it, everyone as up and standing, clapping. She hopped right up to her own feet, and clapped as hard as she could, her hands stinging with the force, but she couldn't stop. When it was time to walk in the procession line back out the door, she felt her phone vibrate and she took it out quickly, reading Callie's text – god, she needed to see Callie, and show her the diploma, just because she knew how big her girlfriend's smile would be and she really wanted to see that smile – _We'll meet you in the square, right in the front left corner. Your parents brought you a graduation gift!_

"Arizona!" Teddy's voice drew her attention, and she quickly ran to her taller friend, throwing her arms around her, and squealing just a little bit, as they both started to talk in the direction of Harvard Square.

"Teddy! We did it! We are officially doctors, for real," the awe she heard in her own voice hardly matched what she felt in her stomach.

Long, dark blonde hair moved as the lanky woman nodded enthusiastically, "I know. I can't believe it, only, I can. That doesn't really make sense, but…"

"Believe me, I understand," she said, looping their arms together and walking forward, "What are your plans tonight?"

"My mom came up from Colorado; she's taking me out tonight. Then she's helping me move this weekend," she added lightly, but Arizona stopped walking altogether.

"You're leaving already?" she asked and couldn't hide the surprise and dismay in her tone. Teddy had been accepted into George Washington University Hospital's residency program, which was really great, but it was also really down in DC.

A slim shoulder was shrugged, "Yeah. It's soon, I know, but I thought it would be a good idea to move before I had to start work. Get settled in. Plus, I found an apartment that was a steal nearby the hospital and the lease had to be signed and paid for by the end of this month, so… it just happened, like last week, and we've both been busy, so I haven't really been able to talk to you about it."

Nodding, she pulled Teddy back down for a hug, a bit longer this time, "I'm not upset that you didn't tell me sooner. I'm just… surprised. I know we've only been friends for this year, but you're pretty much the best friend I've ever had," she said, her eyes feeling a little misty despite the fact that she wasn't really a crier.

"You're one of my best friends, too. But we still will be, okay?" she sounded like she was so confident, but the edge in her voice was uncertain.

"We _will_ be. And when I start getting actual vacation time and can go visit my parents, guess who's going to be on my list of people to visit?" She asked, bumping her hip against Teddy's.

The taller woman lifted her hand and waved at someone Arizona presumed was her mother, simultaneously saying, "I better be at the top of that list."

Laughing, she nodded, "Of course you are. Theodora Altman," she grinned at the way Teddy flinched at her name, "It's been a pleasure," she said, unable to keep the same smile on her face, as the first of the big changes hurdling towards her sunk in.

Teddy squeezed her hand, "You, too. I'm going to call you and send a thousand pictures as soon as my new apartment is set up," she told her as her mom approached.

"I'll hold you to that!" she called as she walked away, toward the area where Callie said they were all going to meet her.

As she drew nearer, she made out her girlfriend first. How had she not noticed how great the Latina looked today? She was wearing a deep turquoise sun dress, accented with black. It wasn't cute the way Arizona's was, but edgy. And it fit her perfectly, and Arizona loved the way her mouth went dry just at the sight of her. Definitely a sign she was with the right person, she thought.

Coming closer, she saw both of her parents, dressed in what she would call Robbins Sunday Best – her parents never had lazy days that she and Callie had, lounging in sweats, and they always looked nice, but then there was an extra notch they could pass to be even better. And they past it today.

Then her dad shifted, and her footsteps stumbled as shock set in. For long moments, she stood, frozen, staring because it was _unreal_ but it was real, as her brother stepped forward and lifted an arm, "Hey, Bug, are you just going to stand there all day catching flies in your mouth?"

And just like that, she broke, running forward and throwing her arms around his neck. Feeling his wrap around her in a tight hug, she closed her eyes, "You're here. You're actually here." Her voice was ragged to her own ears, and she didn't even realize real tears had spilled out until that moment, Then her eyes snapped open and she pulled away a bit, "Wait a second, how long have you been back?"

Because she could read him like a book, when he reached one hand up to scratch at the back of his head, she knew the answer before he said it, "Uh, since… Monday…"

Both of her hands came up to slap him hard on the shoulders, suddenly furious, "You asshole!" she shouted at him, "You are such an asshole. I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming home! I've been worried sick about you."

Knowing he was in trouble with her, he kicked his foot at the grass, "I'm sorry, Bug. I wanted to surprise you. I do make a good graduation gift, right?" he looked up, at her, giving her the biggest Tim smile.

And damn it, she had to smile back. She couldn't not smile back. "Fine, you are a great gift. The best. But I've spent the last week thinking something happened to you!" she looked around, seeking her girlfriend for support.

Callie, seeing what Arizona was doing, stepped forward, wrapping her arm around the blonde's waist, "It's true."

Tim playfully narrowed his eyes at her, "Callie! Sitting through the whole ceremony together, mocking the same people when they did stupid things, I thought we had something special. And now you choose her side over mine."

Laughing, because she had to admit, she was completely taken with him – how could she not be? She loved every member of the Robbins family – she shook her head, "Sorry, but I'm always going to side with her."

"Yeah, bro, back off. This lady is mine," Arizona said, her voice having lost the angry edge to it. There was just no way she could be annoyed at her brother when he was home safe.

He lifted his hands in defeat, "As it should be, as it should be."

Her girlfriend stepped out of the light grasp she had around her waist, giving her brother another hug. They did make quite a sight in real life, she thought, the Robbins siblings. Blonde hair – though different shades – bright, guileless blue eyes, dimpled smiles that could probably charm the pants off of any lady at any place, time, or date.

It was great to see. And it was amazing to see the shift in her girlfriend, like this noticeable deep breath had been taken in and let out, seeing that Tim was home safe. Even though she didn't talk about him every day, Callie knew he was a pressing thought in her girlfriend's mind all the time.

When they separated, Barbara took the opportunity to throw her arms around Arizona, and Daniel quickly followed suit, making her into a sandwich. Barbara, who had cried for nearly the entire hours long ceremony, pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, "Honey, I am just so, so proud of you."

"Me, too, Bug," her dad added, his voice gruff. Though he'd hidden it, Callie was sure he had shed some tears, too.

"Thanks," Arizona's breathless voice said from between them.

They broke apart, and Tim stuck his hands in his pockets, throwing a look at his parents, "So, where are we going to eat? I'm starving."

Barbara laughed and reached out to loop her arm through his, keeping her other hand clasped in Daniel's, "I guess some things never change."

The Robbins, she thought, watching the parents and brother of her girlfriend start in one direction, were probably the perfect family. Feeling a hand slip into her own, she looked down to see her girlfriend's face smiling brightly at her, "I think this is the best day of my life."

Feeling happy just by seeing Arizona so happy, she pressed their lips together, murmuring against them, "I'm glad." Pulling away, she reached into her purse, "I was going to wait to give you this until dinner, but I don't want to."

Arizona watched, eager, as her girlfriend pulled out a box from the purse, then handed it to her. Taking it, she hesitated, "Calliope, you didn't have to get me anything for –" she cut herself off with a laugh as her girlfriend's stern brown eyes fixed her with a look, "Okay."

Opening the box, she moved aside the cloth that was covering whatever it was, then, again, froze. Callie fidgeted next to her, "I thought it would be good, especially because you said you broke yours during your last clinical, and… if you don't like it, well, I can't really get rid of it. But your parents already bought you the frame for you to put your degree in, so – shit, don't tell them I told you that. Act surprised."

Before her girlfriend could continue to ramble, Arizona grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down, kissing her jaw, then nipping her teeth into that plump bottom lip before looking back down, whispering, "I love it."

_It_ was a stethoscope – which, she had broken hers during her last clinical – and it was an expensive one. And around the round end, it was engraved in small, elegant letters _Dr. Arizona Robbins, M.D._

Because that's who she was now. She was Dr. Arizona Robbins, M.D, and she had the best girlfriend in the entire world, her brother was home safe from war, and she was a freaking _doctor_. Being Arizona Robbins was looking pretty good right about now.

* * *

**Please let me know any of your thoughts or opinions, as always! Everyone who takes the time to comment on the story is amazing, and I love you all for it. Thank you so much for reading! **


	31. The Countdown Begins

"Elevator?" The judgment in Tim's voice was clear, "Bug, stairs! Stairs, let's go, chop chop!" He clapped his hands together and ran in a circle behind her, clapping harder and harder, faster and faster, urging her toward the stairs.

So she went, while her breath was already tearing through her lungs, burning with every inhale she took. By the time she got to her floor, even more sweat had dripped down her face, making her tank top stick against her body. Gasping for air, she stopped outside of her door, slouching slightly, hands digging into her hips.

"I – hate – you," she managed to pant out, while her brother stood next to her – barely breathing heavily though sweat soaked his T-shirt, too.

He reached his arm over her, pressing her face against his sweaty mess of a shirt, rubbing his hand over her head down in a noogie, "You love me! You love me, admit it!"

Groaning, grossed out she tried to get away, punching her fists, though ineffectually, against his stomach and back, "Let me go, creep! You stink!"

"Muahaha," he let out a deep laugh, and kept his arm around his neck tight – tight enough for her to feel too much pressure to move but not enough to cause her pain – he added, "You have to admit that you love me, Bug!"

Still trying to take in deep breaths, she almost gagged at the stench, "Fine! I love you. Just let me go." When he did, he did so with a satisfied smile, and she shoved his shoulders which didn't make him budge an inch, "That was so disgusting. Now I have the stench of sweaty man armpit stuck in my nose."

He threw his head back in laughter, "You make it sound like I stink."

Making a face at him, she unlocked her door, "You do stink. Really, really badly."

He sniffed the air, walking in behind her, "Maybe it's because I've spent the last year on a military base in the desert with a unit of men, but I don't smell a thing."

Walking to the linen closet at the end of the hallway, she opened it and threw a towel at him, "Well, you do smell and you need to get your smelly ass in the shower and wash it off before you contaminate my great, girl smelling apartment."

He caught the and tossed it over his shoulder before walking to lift up his duffel bag he'd dropped behind the couch that had all of his clothes in it, "I'm sure if I smell you smell, too. You were the one who was dying out there. I thought you ran every day?" he teased, "Do you and Callie run together? What if she was the one walking around all smelly?"

Sighing, she smiled, just imagining her girlfriend going on a run with her, and the way her boobs would move as she moved, "Well, first of all, Calliope does not run with me. Secondly, if she did, she is allowed to walk around my apartment all hot and sweaty, all day, every day if she so chose, and third, when I have my face pressed against my girlfriend's sweaty skin, she doesn't smell gross." And she wouldn't be fighting to push Callie away, either.

Still with the towel tossed over one broad shoulder and the duffel bag over the other, he walked toward her bookshelf, to the specific area where she had put up three pictures when she'd moved in – all of her family. Now, as her brother lifted a finger and traced over the frame of the newest addition, there was one of she and Callie when they were outside, a little over a month ago, on a fairly chilly day at the end of March, where she'd taken their picture outside.

The wind had been blowing, so their hair wasn't perfect – well, Callie's was, but when was it not? If she didn't love her girlfriend and everything about her, including her hair, so much, then it would just be incredibly irritating how perfect she looked all the time – and neither had been wearing makeup, but she liked it a lot. Both of their eyes were shining in that way that just screamed happiness and love and comfort, and that was enough for her to have it developed last week and put it up.

Besides, she liked having a picture of them in here, just on principle. Tim looked from her to the picture then back, "You look happy."

"She makes me happy," she concurred, feeling a smile creep onto her face.

"Good. I thought so, just from the way you would talk about her on skype, and mom and dad both said it, but… I had to see it with my own eyes. You and your stupid rules went on for so long, I started thinking I was going to have a spinster for a sister. An old, cougar, player sister," he nudged their shoulders together.

"Ha-ha," she reached up to hit his arm, "You're hilarious. I was not that bad."

When his eyes – the same shape and color as her own – looked down at her in question, she bit her lip. She _was_ that bad. Tim wasn't the only one of the two of them who questioned whether or not she was going to be able to be in a serious, real relationship after Joanne. A big part of her felt so messed up, like she was never going to be able to trust another woman again. And then Callie had changed that for her. Callie had changed _her_.

Biting her lip, she looked at the picture in the frame of the two of them, involuntarily grinning at the Latina's face in the photo, and she nodded, "All right. I'll admit I thought the same thing for a little bit."

"Luckily for you, you found your lady," he winked at her, then adjusted his bag on his shoulder, "Speaking of which, where has she been all day?"

It was almost seven at this point in the night, and she and Tim had dropped off Daniel and Barbara at the airport earlier this afternoon after they'd had lunch. Last night, the four Robbins' plus Callie had gone out to her post-graduation dinner, which had been great. Her girlfriend just _fit_ with them. It was like she had a certain gene in which all Robbins couldn't resist.

But afterwards, her girlfriend had had to leave early to get back to her apartment and study for her last final, which was today. And while she was doing that, it had been decided that Tim was going to spend a few days in Boston, sleeping on Arizona's couch. So after her parents had left, needing to get back to work for tomorrow, they'd come by her apartment, then Tim had suggested they go on a run.

In which, he had obviously killed her.

Lifting an eyebrow, she asked, "Why? Trying to mac on my woman?"

He reached his arm up and covered his heart with his hand, "If only she would have me." Letting out a laugh, he tugged on a strand of her hair, "Yeah, right. You make her happy, too. A blind person could see that."

His words made her feel just plain good. Tim always had this way of doing things and saying things that made her feel better, especially if they were going to be talking about Callie. Nothing made her feel as good as knowing that she made Callie happy. "She had to take her Patient Care final today at three. It's one of her biggest exams, so she's been studying for it all day, and then she had to go to a seminar about starting thesis work over the summer. She's going to be seeing us later."

With a nod, he turned back around in the direction of the bathroom, "Good news! I'll go shower and pamper myself to look good for our woman."

Reaching to take one of the throw pillows she kept on the couch, she threw it at his back, "My woman!"

His laughter bounced off the walls from down the hall as he shut the bathroom door behind him. As the water started, she made her way into her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind her, going to get her phone to see if her girlfriend had texted her during her time out. A grin slowly took over, seeing that she had, _Hey, just got out of these seminar. I think my brain might explode soon. Addison and I are going to go to Joe's if you and Tim want to meet us there._

That had been sent less than an hour ago, she noticed, her thumbs flying across the screen to type out a response, **We will absolutely be there soon!**

Driven by the idea of seeing her girlfriend, Arizona picked out an outfit to wear after her shower. Nothing fancy, but a pair of shorts she knew made her legs and butt look good, because she knew Callie would appreciate that, and a pink top that complimented the bottoms.

Thank god her brother was used to the marines shower time – he was out of her bathroom and dressed in a light blue polo shirt with khaki pants on, hair smoothed down in less than ten minutes, "Beat that, Bug," he challenged, his eyes sparkling.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to beat his time, she still hopped up and ran anyway – she couldn't just give up on a challenge before she at least attempted to win first. She speeded through the shower, then let her hair curl naturally against her face as she hopped out, changing into her new set of clothes.

Somehow, though she thought she was rushing, when she checked the clock next to her, Tim had already been ready in a shorter amount of time. Frowning slightly at the loss, even though she'd known it was coming, she quickly finished her getting ready routine, then went back out into the living room, where her brother was sprawled out on her couch, the television in front of him on. Laughter bubbled up in her throat seeing the way he took up the entirety of her couch, his feet falling lop-sided off the side.

He gave her a grin when she walked back in, "You didn't beat my time."

Kicking out her foot, she hit his, then then both laughed, "Well, I'm going easy on you, bro. It's your first week back; I don't want you to feel too insecure with me around, showing you up or anything."

Chuckling, he pushed himself up, already grimacing when he stretched, "Shit, Bug, this couch is going to be a killer on the back. How do you deal with it?"

Reaching out a hand, she waited until he took it in hers and they both put in the effort, dragging him to his feet, "Well, I think the biggest matter of fact we have here is that you are a heavily muscled man who's six foot three. We're experiencing slightly different walks of life," she teased.

He brought his hand behind him, rubbing out the tension in his muscles, "I don't know how this couch thing is going to work out. Maybe I'll crawl into bed and snuggle with you and Callie," he joked, laughing aloud when Arizona narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're so funny. I think I've missed your sense of humor more than anything else," Arizona deadpanned, even though she couldn't stop smiling. There was just at quality that Tim had. Superstar quality, the blonde thought, "So, what do you think about going to this bar that's nearby? It's named Joe's, and it's pretty good."

He clapped his hands together, "All right, sweet! Let's get this show on the road!" he exclaimed, already ready to go. Not that she could blame him – he hadn't been out, at a bar or anywhere else, really, since the beginning of last summer, before he'd been deployed.

It took her moments to run into her bedroom to pick up her wallet and cell phone, and then they set out, texting Callie, **We're leaving. Should be there soon.**

Her phone buzzed back nearly immediately_, Awesome! We're alredy herere_.

Reading the text, the giggled just a bit. The slightly misspelled words were the sign that her girlfriend was already enjoying some tequila. Laughing just a bit, she put her phone away as they drew closer to the establishment that was located across from her girlfriend's apartment.

Tim held the door open for her, "Remember that time we had that competition to see who could get the most girls phone numbers?"

That time had been the last time he'd come home, she thought, rolling her eyes, "Yes. But I still don't think it was exactly fair. You had the advantage – most of the girls in there were straight. That doesn't reflect on my ability to pick them up, that reflects on the fact that you had location advantage. So I still say I deserved an automatic bump of five numbers. And if we did that, I would have won. So suck it!"

Her brother started to let out a laugh as they entered, both of their sets of eyes immediately finding Callie at the bar, throwing back a shot. But Tim's eyes were more focused on the woman with Callie, and he whispered, "Who is _that_?"

Without bothering for Arizona to answer, he strode forward, and Arizona followed behind him until they reached where her girlfriend was. Sliding her arm around Callie's waist, she leaned in to brush her lips against her cheek, "Hey, babe. How was your last final?"

Callie gave her that ridiculously sexy confident grin, "I kicked it's ass. Hardcore."

Her features just naturally shifted into a wide smile back at her, "I'm proud of you. Told you there was no reason to be nervous earlier."

She then turned just a bit, in time to see the way her brother's eyes ran down Addison's body with that gleam in his eyes, then saw the mirroring image of that glint reflected in her girlfriend's best friend's eyes. And she saw this going horribly, horribly wrong. But it was already a done deal as far as Tim was concerned, and she stepped forward, "Tim, Tim Robbins," he offered her that charming smile, the one that had been working for him since he'd been in diapers.

Addison slipped her hand in his and gave it a firm shake, which, reading her brother's face, she could tell both surprised him and pleased him, "Addison Montgomery."

Oh, boy. Her brother and Callie's best friend. She really didn't like the possibilities turning out here – Addison already disliked her. And she didn't want Tim to somehow add onto that dislike. Quickly elbowing her girlfriend in the stomach, hearing a grunted, "Hey!" in response, she pointed to where Tim and Addison had walked together to the dart board.

Callie's voice sounded confused, "I don't understand the big deal, babe. What's going on? So, Tim and Addison are going to play a game of darts."

Groaning, her stomach sank and she rested both of her elbows on the table, then her head fell into her hands, "That's one of Tim's things – he shows off his skills over there and then teaches women how to get a bulls-eyes. It's a move. He's making a move, and she's going to make one back."

She didn't have to look at Callie to hear the smile in her voice, "Well, that's kind of nice."

Turning her head sharply, she stared at her slightly tipsy girlfriend like she was crazy, "Nice? Calliope, how do you not see this turning into a disaster for one, if not both of us?"

Amusement was clear in those big brown eyes, "I think it's not really about either one of us. And we should have foreseen something like this, shouldn't we? I mean, come on. Tim is this tall, broad-shouldered, blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy next door marine and Addison is… Addison. Every guy loves Addison."

As she watched, Addison showed her brother up at darts, unafraid to beat him. And then she knew she was done for here. Because as much as Tim did like being the person to teach a woman to play darts, what he liked even better was a woman who could show him up and didn't apologize about it. He smiled his slow, genuine smile, and _kaboom_, she knew he was a goner.

Caramel arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her attention away from Tim and Addison just as those hands pulled her hips so they ground against the Latina's. Dropping her head back, onto Callie's shoulder, she tilted it slightly to the side, so she could connect their lips. Contently sighing at the sensation of those soft, plump lips pressed against hers, she pulled away so she could turn in her girlfriend's arms, so they were facing each other.

Callie's arms readjusted to Arizona's movement, loosely falling to link hands behind her lower back, both of them moving slightly to the beat of the music playing throughout the bar. With a deep breath, blue eyes closed, and she pushed in closer, feeling the Latina's body cushion hers when she got in close enough to press together, "We met right here in this spot, you know."

Arizona felt Callie lift her head and look around, "We did! This is where you told me I was too hot to be celibate," she laughed, and Arizona felt the vibrations through her whole body.

Sometimes she couldn't believe that she and Callie had started as just one night. Then again, she could, because that, simply put, was their beginning. Pushing up onto her tiptoes, she whispered into Callie's ear, loving how she felt goose bumps, "You were. And you still are. Thankfully, we took care of that problem."

The brunette "hmm'd", letting her head fall back just a bit, revealing her long neck, that just begged for Arizona's teeth to dig into it, biting, sucking, and then suckling, just a bit. Self-control, she told herself, regardless of how much she could feel herself already dripping wet. You would think it had been weeks since they'd last had sex instead of five days ago, but it had been so rushed then, because of their finals frenzy and everything…

But she was here with her brother tonight, and it wasn't like he knew his way around Boston. He probably couldn't even lead himself back to Arizona's apartment for god's sake. So she did her best to reel herself in, "I still can't even believe… _that_ is happening," she said, unable to stop the complete shock from dripping from her voice.

Callie laughed, and Arizona would tell she was feeling a pleasant buzz from the alcohol, and they swayed their bodies to look in the direction of the dance floor where Tim and Addison were now wrapped up in each other and the music.

Callie's lips worked at her neck, starting at the base, then slowly trailing up, giving just a peek of her tongue out of those magnificent lips, before latching on to the spot just under the blonde's earlobe, making her pulse jackhammer, "To be honest, sweetie, I doubt Tim's really going to be worried about where you'll be tonight. And he's definitely not an invested as to where you're going to be as I am."

God, that voice. Those lips. Shuddering, her mouth fell open, and she felt herself nodding. Disengaging from Callie's arms, she held up her finger, before running over to where her brother was. Tapping him on the shoulder, she gave him the biggest smile she could, "So, big brother of mine, I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you tonight or anything, but… well…" she threw a glance over her shoulder in the direction of her girlfriend so Tim would understand.

He shook his head, "You're just lucky I'm so understanding," he joked.

Rolling her eyes, she made brief eye contact with Addison, and thought, no, she was so lucky he'd be going home with someone else, "Right. You're a god-send," she stuck out her tongue at him.

He was about to make a face back at her, then raised his eyebrows, "Uh, who's that other woman talking to Callie?"

What? Spinning around, she easily recognized Natalie Davis tipsily leaning in just a little too close to her girlfriend. Arizona felt her stomach clench, and she didn't know what it was about Natalie that just automatically set her on edge, but she just did not like her one bit. Okay, she lied, she knew what it was that she didn't like. She didn't like that Natalie had taken Callie on a date those months ago when she'd been not ready to take Callie out herself.

She didn't like that past dating business, not one bit.

She didn't like that Natalie's lips had tasted her girlfriend's full ones. Callie didn't tell her in detail about their end of date kiss, only that there had been one. But the idea that Natalie Davis' lips had been against the delicious, full ones that belonged to her girlfriend made her blood curdle.

And on top of those past experiences, what really pushed her over the top was how Natalie's eyes seemed to shine when she looked at Callie. She had the eye-shine that Callie and Arizona had with each other. Which just made everything worse, she thought, and set her jaw before walking over to the pair.

As soon as she made eye contact with Natalie, the shorter woman made a hasty exit away from her girlfriend. Callie looked up at her, an amused expression on her face as she came to stand right in front of her, "You scared her away."

"Good," the word burst from her lips, viciously, before she could stop it. Thankfully, Callie seemed to find it more funny than ridiculous, and Arizona lowered her voice, stepping in close, her focus landing on Callie's lips before dragging up to meet amused brown eyes, "Every time I see her, I just think about how she almost had you, first. How she was ready to date you when I wasn't. And she has twinkly eyes when she looks at you!"

Callie laughed then ran her hands down Arizona's arms to intertwine their fingers together, "We were only talking because we're going to be put in the same theses design group in the fall, and she wanted to know if I could help tutor her. But the important question here is, do I have twinkly eyes back?"

Blue eyes looked up, searching, before shaking her head softly, pulling their hands downwards to bring the Latina down, and she brushed their lips together, just barely tracing her tongue over her lips, muttering, "No. You only have your shiny eyes at me."

And they were shining at this moment, making Arizona's stomach twist in that warm feeling, as she answered, "Right. Because I only love you. And maybe Natalie did take me on a date, but it wasn't nearly as good of a date as anything we've been on, because she's a really nice girl and all, but she is no Arizona Robbins. Even in the beginning of the year, I recognized that. Even if you couldn't," she teased, dropping her voice to a whisper, and pressing their foreheads together.

She didn't know what was wrong with her over the last few days, maybe it was just everything happening – graduation, Tim coming home – that was making her more emotional than usual, but that utter sincerity in her girlfriends voice, as her soft hair brushed Arizona's cheek made her feel the littlest bit, stupidly, teary eyed. Her hands reached up to cup Callie's cheeks, and she whispered, "I wasn't ready to love you then, not the way I do, not how much I do. But I didn't really have a choice. I wasn't expecting you, Calliope, but I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Tan hands slid to grasp around Arizona's waist, her thumbs slipping under the hem of her shirt and stroking the soft skin of her stomach, "You're fucking amazing, Arizona, that's what you did to deserve me. You treat me the best anyone has ever treated me in my entire life. _I_ don't know what I did to deserve _you_."

Letting out a small giggle, she nuzzled her face in, rubbing their noses together, "So I guess we are pretty well matched to each other, then."

"Extremely," Callie corrected, tipping her head forward once again to pull Arizona's top lip in between hers, working her bottom lip against it, while her tongue flicked out, tracing lightly, before she pulled back, "So, now that I am completely done with finals, summer has officially begun. Almost two months ahead of us."

She was excited for those nearly two full months, absolutely. But there was that other part of her, that anxious part, that was still terrified about what was going to happen at the end of two months, at the beginning of her intern year, "So the countdown begins," she sighed.

The clock was already ticking.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Reading your reviews is the highlight of my day, so I'm extremely grateful for everyone who takes the time to let me know any and all thoughts about the story. Thank you for reading!**


	32. Camping

Arizona was literally in disbelief as to how her first official few days of summer break with Callie had turned out with her sitting in the woods, on a log. She was sitting _on a log_. Her plan for tonight or possibly last night had been to take Callie out to one of the nice restaurants she liked to celebrate the end of the semester, and then to go back to the Latina's apartment and tear her clothes off – maybe with her teeth – and then make her scream.

Instead, she was sitting outside with a freaking log numbing her butt, with a fire to warm her. Arizona Robbins did not like camping. And yet, here she was, she thought with a scowl, looking around the trees around her under the dark sky.

She was jarred out of her thoughts, jumping as a pile of leaves were thrown at her, landing in her lap. Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head at the dimpled grin that was aimed in her direction and she brushed her lap off.

Her brother had a light jacket one, zipped halfway up, and was lounging as if he was sitting on the most comfortable lawn chair rather than the ground of the woods, "Come on, Bug. You look miserable. Cheer up! Enjoy the great outdoors in which we're experiencing."

But the way he was grinning at her, she could tell he was messing with her. Because Tim knew she hated camping. Grabbing a fistful of leaves, she tossed them back at him, "Don't tell me to cheer up and enjoy the great outdoors! You did this, Timothy. I could have been naked in my girlfriend's bed – with my also naked girlfriend – at this time if it weren't for you."

His mouth dropped, "I'm offended! You and Callie both had the choice to come up here, and you made the decision of your own free will and volition."

"It's not that simple, and you know it!" Shaking her head, she crossed her arms over the puffy vest she was wearing, and looked into the fire between them.

Not that simple, indeed.

* * *

After having the rush of finals and graduation, waking up naturally, without any sort of alarm or sense of urgency to do something – anything – was really freaking awesome. Stretching out her legs a little bit, she sighed as Callie's sheets, slightly cooled in the parts that she hadn't been touching while she'd slept, rubbed against her. Still not opening her eyes, she snuggled her face farther into the pillow under her head, before it hit her.

Callie wasn't in bed. Confused, her eyes fluttered open, blearily taking in the room. Her arm was still resting over where her girlfriend would be if she was still in bed, but was now resting on the sheets that were just as chilly as the ones she stretched against. Meaning the Latina had been up for a while.

Eyebrows drawing down, she pushed herself up to look at the clock. It was barely even nine o'clock; Callie never got out of bed this early if she could help it. Usually Arizona would have been up for at least an hour, but they hadn't actually collapsed into a sweaty mess of tangled arms and legs to sleep under the covers until nearly four in the morning.

She'd fallen asleep with an extremely detailed fantasy in which she planned to implement when they'd woken up. But it didn't look like that was going to happen. Reaching up, she ran a hand through her tangled hair – Callie really did have a thing for grabbing her hair, not that she minded in the least – she was about to get up in search of her mysteriously awake and missing girlfriend when the bedroom door was thrown open.

Callie walked in, a surprised smile taking over her features, "You're already up!"

Pleased that she didn't have to get up or dressed just yet, she smiled back, the grin growing even wider as the brunette hopped up onto the end of the bed, crawling up on her hands and knees until she came to settle over the blonde's hips.

Maybe her good morning fantasy was going to come true after all. Licking her lips, her breath hitching at the images attacking her brain, she slid her hands up over her girlfriend's thighs, frowning as she hit her pajama shorts. Taking a hold of the bottom of the material, she rubbed it between her fingers, "When did you put these on?" Her other hand slipped up, tugging on the faded blue cotton of the loose shirt she was wearing before gliding underneath, "And the shirt?" she added.

Callie opened her mouth to respond, but her breath simply shuddered out as the blonde's fingers walked up her stomach to flick over an already hard nipple. Arizona grinned, then pinched the tip under her fingers, making Callie pitch forward so she landed above her, dark hair spilling over her shoulder to tickle Arizona's neck.

Craning her neck, she arched up, wanting to get a morning taste of her girlfriend, as the hand that wasn't touching her favorite part of the Latina's anatomy moved to pull down the blanket she was under to bring their skin together.

"Hey, Cal, what's taking you so long to wake up my sist – Shit!" Tim's voice rang out from the doorway, then a crash was heard as he fell back against the door, which swung open, making him almost fall down onto his ass.

Callie let out a squeak, her face turning red, almost as much as Arizona's, while the blonde scrambled to pull her hand out from under the Latina's shirt, bringing it to keep a firm hold on the blanket against her chest, "Tim! What the heck?"

The man's hand was clasped tightly over his eyes as he blindly used the doorknob to pull himself back up to his feet, "Sorry! I'm sorry. Callie said she was going to wake you up real quick so you could come approve some plans, but… I'm just going to wait back in the kitchen now."

As quickly as he came, he was gone, shutting the door behind him with a loud slam. Hardly even aware of what just happened, she flopped onto her back, letting go of the grip she had on the comforter. She looked up at the ceiling, lips puckered in confused thought, "What is my brother doing in your apartment in the early morning?"

Callie rolled off her girlfriend, so she was sitting next to her, "He and Addison came over about a half hour ago. She's in her infatuation stage with your brother at the moment. Tim thinks it would be a great idea if we all went camping together."

Shaking her head against the pillow it was resting on, she pulled up the covers so they covered her face, muttering, "Of course he does." When she didn't hear a response from Callie, she pulled the blankets down so one of her open eyes could peek out, "You don't think that's actually a good idea. Do you?"

She already knew her answer in the adorable way the brunette bit the side of her lip and traced circles into the blanket with her finger, "No… well… kind of. Why don't you think it is?"

Rolling her eyes, she held up her hand, "One, I hate camping. Two, you and Addison have both never been camping and will probably both dislike it. Three, Tim and Addison just hooked up last night for the first time and now they want to go on a camping trip together. What in the freaking world? Four, Addison doesn't like me," for a second, she paused, trying to think of a last reason to give it an even five and simply added, "Five, I hate camping."

Callie took a hold of her hand, bending down the first of Arizona's outstretched fingers, "One, you've never been camping with me. Two, Addison and I have never been camping, so there's a chance we both might love it. Three, Tim's only in town for like three more days before he goes back to Virginia, and they both just want to have some fun," she rattled off, putting down more of the blonde's fingers, rubbing over them with her thumb. "Four, Addison doesn't _not_ like you… she's just… protective of me." Now she took her hand and wrapped it around Arizona's fist, her thumb still sticking out, standing for "the fifth reason."

Arizona watched, her throat going dry, as Callie lifted her hand up and her lips wrapped around the tip of the blonde's thumb. Heat pooled low in her stomach, as she both watched and felt those luscious lips suck her thumb into her mouth, suddenly encased in warmth, and she swore her vision blurred. Then she felt Callie's tongue move in circles around the pad of her finger, and she felt an answering clenching between her legs, because that was the exact same way her girlfriend's tongue moved over her –

A groan fell from her lips when Callie pulled her mouth away, a sly smile on her face, her voice deeper, "Five, as I said, you've never been camping with me."

A pout formed on her lips, "You really want to go camping, don't you?"

Callie nodded in excitement, her megawatt grin spread across her face, "Yes! Come on, you pointed out yourself that I've never been, and I really want to go. It's an experience I should have, right? Haven't you gone camping several times?"

Blue eyes rolled, as memories of dirt and bugs and peeing in the woods and sleeping on the ground affronted her, "Try like hundreds."

Camping was the Colonel's form of vacation. He loved camping, and so did Tim, and even her mom. No matter where they had been stationed, whenever her dad had a weekend off, they would find someplace to camp for at least a few days. It only stopped when they moved to Virginia, and she was sixteen, which her parents deemed old enough to stay home for a weekend alone.

Callie bounced lightly on the bed, shaking her, while her hand flitted from her lap to trace her fingers over the blonde's collarbone, feeling Arizona shiver against her, "It'll only be for a night, maybe two."

She already knew that they were going to go, and she heaved a sigh, "Fine. Go on and tell Tim and Addison we'll go. But only because I love you so much."

Callie smiled, the warmth of it driving away most all of Arizona's possible irritation, and she dipped down, peppering the blonde's face with kisses, making her giggle, despite the looming thought of the woods, "I love you, I love you, I love you," she breathed the words against creamy skin, in between pressing her lips against her cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead, before coming to rest against pink lips.

Before Arizona could even open her mouth to deepen the kiss, her girlfriend had sprung off the bed, jumping onto the ground, proclaiming, "I'm going to tell you that you're the best girlfriend in the world, and that we're going camping."

* * *

And with Tim putting in a little bit of research to find out a good place to spend a few days in the woods, the four of them had been packed within hours. Though it had taken a bit longer than either Robbins anticipated because Arizona, clearly, didn't own a tent, and neither did Callie or Addison, and all Tim had with him was a duffel bag.

So they'd stopped at a store and picked up two tents – plus sleeping bags, flashlights, a cooler and food. In Arizona's opinion, it really wasn't worth all this effort and fuss to buy all of this stuff to go _camping_, but she was the minority in the group, and she'd bitten her tongue and gone along with it.

Until now, when her girlfriend and Addison were both off to pee, and her butt was really uncomfortable. Despite her glare, her brother just smiled at her, "All right, I don't even understand how it's my fault that you're here. I'm not your girlfriend."

Okay, yes, Callie had been the one who had actually gotten her to come, but still, "You put the idea in her head!"

"I put the idea in Addison's head, and she took us over to your girl's apartment to put the idea in Callie's head," he corrected.

Semantics. The end result was the same. Plus, there was that whole topic of Addison, that none of the four of them addressed. Sure, they would be polite to each other and make light conversation, and though Addison had never expressly said it, Arizona _knew_ that the redhead didn't like her. Which just made her uncomfortable, because she didn't know what she could do to change that, especially when she didn't know what she had done to deserve it in the first place.

Tim sat up, frowning, "Speaking of Callie and Addison, what's taking them so long?"

About forty feet away, the Latina's hand was locked tightly with the redhead's as her other held a flashlight, illuminating the ground in front of them, "We came from this way," she insisted, taking another step forward.

Her heart raced as the woods seemed to have a life all of its own, the sounds crackling around them drawing them even closer together, Addison's thin body shaking, "I could have sworn we took a turn somewhere."

Shaking her head, she held the light up above her head, trying to see as far into the distance as possible, "Why would we have turned in order to take a pee? Are we idiots?"

Addison laughed, albeit a bit shakily, "Apparently, we are. We've been trying to found our way back to camp for at least an hour now."

Coming to a halt, pulling her friend to one with her, she gave her a look of disbelief, "It has not been an hour. Twenty minutes, maybe thirty." She hoped.

"We're idiots," Addison commented again, then reached for the flashlight, taking it from Callie and shining it around them. She didn't see anything and she was nervous they were going in the completely wrong direction while they were trying to find camp.

"Didn't we learn when we were little that when we got lost it was better so sit in one place so someone could find you?" Callie asked, biting on her bottom lip and looking around, not wanting to admit that she was also a little freaked out.

The redhead, with her jacket zipped up all the way to her chin, leaned her back against a tree, and slid down until she hit the ground, pulling Callie down with her, "You are correct. I hate to say this, but I think we're both really, really city girls."

Keeping the flashlight on and moving it in different directions, she chuckled a little bit, "I think we both figured that out yesterday."

This trip had enlightened Callie to several things, the first of which was exactly as Addison said – she was a city girl. She'd grown up in Miami, and had since lived in Boston. The most she'd gone camping was once with Aria staying in a cabin that had full electricity, accompanied with cable and internet. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the trip, but this fact was glaringly obvious.

First of all, as they had hiked through the woods, both Arizona and Tim had this way of moving throughout the trees and the plants that just said that they'd done it all before. Both Callie and Addison had lagged behind them, neither of them used to walking through the dirt in sneakers that had, at most, been used to work out on a treadmill.

Then there was the debacle of setting up a tent. Tim had set up his and Addison's within what seemed like minutes, but Callie felt like that hardly counted because he was a freaking marine, and he knew how to do stuff like that in his sleep. He'd offered to help with Arizona and Callie's tent, but Callie had been the one to refuse. She wanted to figure it out; she was in med school, how difficult could putting a tent together be?

Apparently more difficult than she'd thought. In the end, between her and Arizona's combined efforts, it was put up. The one thing she'd found that she disliked the most was the bugs. She liked to think that she was too hardcore for bugs to freak her out. But last night, when one of them with what seemed like over a hundred legs, had crawled near where she and Arizona were sitting, then onto her girlfriend's shoe, Tim had pointed, "A bug on Bug."

Arizona had let out a short, high pitched scream before kicking her foot around to get it off, but the image of that creepy crawly thing had stayed with Callie all last night, and into today. Shuddering at the thought of it, she slumped her shoulder against Addison's, leaning her head back against the tree, and thought of the group's earlier activities.

They'd gone kayaking on the lake, Tim and Addison in one, she and Arizona in another. Naturally, they'd raced across to where they'd decided to have lunch, and despite the fact that Tim was the strongest and most athletic out of all of them, she and Arizona had won. A smile playing on her lips, she thought back to their victory, as the competitive Robbins siblings reacted to the win/loss of the situation. Tim hung his head low in defeat, while Arizona had danced around him.

She'd caught the blonde by her waist and pulled her in, before her brother challenged her to a different, stupid game. The way Arizona had smiled up at her face, the sheer joy written all over her face was something that warmed Callie from head to toe. Arizona had laced her arms around Callie's neck as she brought her head down, and she connected their lips, and knew that the reason they had won was because for all Tim was strong and Addison could plan strategy on how to win, Callie and Arizona would work together as a team without even speaking.

That feeling of utter togetherness was the highlight of the trip for the last few days. However, the downside to everything was that Addison still clearly did not like Arizona. Drawing her knees up, she rested her hands on them, still intermittently shining the light, "Well, while I have you here, we need to chat."

An impeccably shaped eyebrow arched at her in confusion, "All right. What's up?"

"You and Arizona. You still act like you don't like her, and I really don't get it. And I hate that I have to bring it up again, because we've already talked about it, months ago. She's been nothing but great to me – for me – since we've been together, and I hate that you're one of my best friends and that you can't support that," the words burst from her before she could think of a better way to phrase them. Then she decided that what she had said was just fine on its own.

Addison drew her eyebrows down, and looked flustered, in a way that Callie rarely ever saw her look, "Cal, I don't not like Arizona. We _did_ talk about it, and since then I've been giving her a chance. She does treat you well, I know that. And I'm trying to forget all of the times you can crying to be over her, because you were right, that was a different phase of your relationship. I haven't said anything rude to her or anything."

"That's kind of it – you haven't said _anything_ to her. And maybe you do like her," Callie said slowly, looking at her friend and believing that Addison saying she really did like Arizona was the truth, because she really wasn't one to beat around the bush, "But she thinks you don't. She cares what you think, because she loves me and by extension, she wants you to like her, too. And I don't like where that puts me, where my girlfriend thinks my best friend hates her, because I don't like feeling like I need to defend you to her or her to you. It's tiring and stupid."

The redhead opened and closed her mouth a few times before sighing and sinking her head down onto Callie's shoulder, which surprised the Latina, "You're right. It is tiring for you and stupid, and I'm sorry. I'll do better."

Now it was Callie's turn to open and close her mouth a few times in search for something to say, "That's it?"

Feeling Addison's shoulder shake against hers in laughter, she asked, "Do you want a different answer?"

Quickly, Callie shook her head, "Uh, nope, I'm satisfied with that one. Just make an effort to make her feel like you don't completely hate her. I'm begging you. And then I'll be happy."

"And, as your best friend, I want you to be happy, so – did you hear that?" the smaller woman's head perked up, looking around.

Lifting her eyebrows, she strained to hear what her friend was hearing, and then she heard it too. Arizona was calling out her name, then Addison's. Hearing that voice come closer, they both stood, brushing off their jeans, and Callie called out, "Arizona?"

"Callie!" she got in response, her girlfriend's voice even closer now, and she could see the light from a flashlight coming from the direction to the left of them.

Shining her own light so that Arizona would see it, she felt a relieved grin creep onto her face from ear to ear as her girlfriend, whose hair was split into her two adorable pigtail braids, came into view, concern written all over her face, Tim standing behind her.

"Calliope," Arizona breathed, feeling incredibly comforted upon the sight of her girlfriend standing, unharmed, with her friend. Rushing forward, she wrapped her arms tightly around Callie's waist, "You scared me," she whispered into a tan neck.

Tim walked forward to wrap am arm around Addison's shoulders, "She was shitting bricks," he added with a wink.

As they started back to where their tents were, Callie dropped her arm around her girlfriend's waist, as Arizona's still draped around hers, "What did you think happened?"

"I don't know! You two disappeared for like over a half hour just to pee and then never came back. Maybe you got mauled by a bear or something, for all I knew," she said, only half kidding.

Addison was the next to speak, "Well, thanks for coming to get us. For a second I thought we'd be sleeping against that tree until morning."

Arizona snorted in laughter, just because the idea that she would have let Callie remain missing all night in the woods when she'd never even been camping before the last couple of days in her life was ludicrous. She was starting to panic after less than half an hour. Tim let out a chuckle, too, "Bug was prepared to call search and rescue if we didn't find you guys within the next five minutes."

She was hardly able to contain her jump of surprise as Addison's hand reached out and touched her shoulder, "Well, thank you, Arizona, for coming to save us from being mauled by a bear."

Shocked, she looked at the redhead with wide eyes, noting how she was smiling this little smile that seemed genuine. She didn't think she'd ever seen Addison smile a genuine smile at her before, "You're welcome."

Getting back to where their tents were set up, as the fire had died down, she kept her arm wrapped around her girlfriend, both for comfort and warmth, "I think I'm ready to go to bed."

Callie nodded in agreement, "Yes. Same."

Saying their goodnights, the two turned to walk to their tent, and Arizona's eyes were wide, "Addison didn't look like she hated me for once!"

The Latina let out a quiet laugh, "I told you, she doesn't hate you."

Unzipping the tent, Arizona held it open, her gaze falling to her girlfriend's perfectly shaped, rounded butt as she crawled in. Swallowing hard, she squeezed her legs together, looking over her shoulder at where her brother and Addison were resuming their seats around the fire. They were pretty close to their tent, less than twenty feet away…

Then she looked back inside the tent, where Callie was starting to slip off her clothes in favor for sleep clothes, and her decision was made. Hastily, she crawled into the tent, zipping it quickly behind her, and moving forward quickly, bumping into her girlfriend and knocking her down so she was sprawled onto the two sleeping bags that were zipped together as the base of their makeshift bed, as they'd brought several other blankets and pillows to throw on top of them, creating a semi-comfortable and extremely warm nest for them to sleep in.

Callie recognized the look on her girlfriend's face, barely holding back a moan as pink lips attached to that spot right under her jaw, "What about –" brown eyes rolled back, as Arizona's teeth nibbled lightly into her skin.

"Don't care," the blonde muttered against her girlfriend's neck. Because she really didn't care. Tim and Addison were the ones who had come up with this whole camping adventure, and by proxy, that meant that they were the ones responsible for her missing her morning sex yesterday, the sex she would have had last night, and presumably the sex she would have had this morning. And she didn't want to wait another night; she was already wet, and she wanted Callie tonight.

Callie's hands came up to cup her face, fingers edging into her hair, pulling her up so their mouths were just a breath apart, "Okay. Me neither," she whispered, before tugging the blonde down, their mouths already open as they clashed together, tongues tangling together, as Arizona's hands hurriedly came up under Callie urging her to arch her back, which the Latina did, and she unsnapped her bra and tossed it to the side in one fluid movement, thankful that Callie had rid her shirt already.

Breaking apart, feeling her girlfriend's heavy breathing against her face, she looked down, seeing those full breasts bounce with each inhale and exhale. Slithering down her body, she quickly sucked one of those hard nipples inside of her mouth, lapping at it roughly with her tongue, opening her mouth as widely as possible to take her all in as she slipped a thigh between Callie's, both of them automatically pushing a leg up, and grinding down into the offered leg.

The jeans they were both wearing took away from the feeling, though, and she reached down to unsnap Callie's with one hand, sliding her zipper down with the other, while Callie did the same thing to her, which made her laugh, the sound breathless as her heart raced, "We just undid each other's pants in unison."

"We're both extremely smart and dexterous women," Callie responded, lifting her hips before Arizona even had to motion for it, so the blonde could tug down her jeans, taking her lacy red panties with her, and throwing them behind her.

Before she could lean back down to taste the skin her mouth was watering for, Callie's hands came up between them, to her undone jeans, and yanking down, gravelly whispering, "You, too," as her hands slid inside the still-there material, and back to cup Arizona's ass.

Whimpering, pressing herself into the touch, she kicked her pants off before falling forward, her mouth finding Callie's clavicle again, sucking at the bones she could see through her skin because she knew the brunette loved it – yes, there was the moan she was looking for, she thought, putting her leg back between the Latina's, feeling how wet she was against her thigh, hips already rolling.

Two strong hands came up to table in blonde hair, gripping hardly, the feeling making Arizona's hips jerk against the caramel thigh between her own legs, as Callie gasped, "Touch me."

But it was those words that made her remember… reaching up, she took Callie's wrist in her hand, tugging one hand out of the pleasurably painful hold she had there, and brought the tan hand down to touch her own center. Shadowing her girlfriend's fingers with her own, she could feel Callie's wetness through her fingers, seeping through onto the blonde's hand.

Then she pushed herself up, involuntarily grinding onto her Latina's thigh, Callie stilled her hand where Arizona left it, resting right over her folds, and her dark eyes snapped open, confused, alarmed, "Wait, what are you doing? Where are you going? I want…"

Arizona reached her finger, one that was coated in Callie's wetness, out to press against plump lips, "I'm not going anywhere. And it's what _you're_ doing… baby, I want you to touch yourself."

Callie looked at her as though she could barely comprehend words, "But… I want _you_ to touch me."

Blue eyes inevitably landed on that hand that was moving ever so slightly now, so slightly she didn't even know if Callie was aware she was moving, and her mouth fell open in a moan at the sight, "I remembered something the other night. When I was eating you out, I looked up and you had your own hand pulling at your nipple. Do you remember? Like this," she said, reaching out, her entire hand covering over one of Callie's glorious breasts, her index finger and thumb tweaking the tip, closing her eyes at the sound of the groan that fell from Callie's mouth.

"I – remember," she panted, her thumb stroking upwards and finding her own hard clit, her hips jumping against her hand.

Sliding her hand down, she rested it on her girlfriend's hip, bracing herself there, "And that reminded me about how, all those months ago, you told me on our second date that you touched yourself. And you imagined it was me touching you."

Her eyes were now glued to her girlfriend's hand, as it flitted over her clit again, flicking up to see how Callie's eyes closed, her head kicking back into the pillow, as her husky voice asked, "I – god, you remember that?"

A desire filled laugh worked its way out of her mouth, "Um, yes, I absolutely remember that you told me that you fucked yourself while imagining I was there. And now that I am here, I want to see you fuck yourself again."

Breathing heavily, Callie bit her lip, "Are you sure?"

Groaning, she stared transfixed, unable to do anything for a second as her girlfriend's index finger slid down into her slit, sliding through the wetness and bringing it up to gather around her clit before moving in tight circles, "So fucking sure," she breathed out, then slid down her girlfriend's body to watch the action up close.

God, Callie was dripping. Her hips worked in rhythm with her hand against her clit, which was so hard, Arizona could see it throbbing in reaction to Callie's touches. Her own hips bucked in response to the sight in front of her, rubbing herself on Callie's leg just for a moment before making herself still. This was about watching Callie, and she didn't want anything to distract her, even if it was herself getting off.

Her throat felt raw and she had to clear it before saying, "Inside. Go inside," she urged, and they both moaned as Callie complied. First one finger, then two on the next thrust as she started a quick rhythm with herself. She was drenched, and Arizona could clearly see the moisture dripping down, despite the darkness, and hear it every time her girlfriend moved. Her voice sounded turned on and amazed simultaneously to her own ears, "You are so fucking wet, Calliope. What are you thinking about right now?"

"Huh?" was the response she got, Callie's breathing ragged, and she knew her girlfriend was nearly gone, as her hand moved even faster.

Kissing a trail up a caramel thigh, she could faintly taste herself from where she had grinded down earlier, she said again, "What are you thinking about?"

"You," the word burst from the Latina's mouth, followed by a long, lasting moan, then a gasp, "You touching me. Licking me."

Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck fuck fuck. How was she supposed to control herself when Callie said stuff like that? There was no way. Groaning, she continued to plant kisses up her girlfriend's leg, until she could feel the heat against her face, and she knew Callie was so close already, as her fingers slid in and out.

Leaning in even closer, she sucked Callie's clit between her lips, whimpering at the taste, hearing a, "YES!" screamed from her girlfriend above, and she flicked her tongue against her in the same rhythm as her fingers were moving. It wasn't long before caramel hips bucked against her face, and she nearly came just from knowing that it was her mouth and Callie fucking herself at the same time that just caused her orgasm.

When her fingers slid out from herself, Arizona gave one last lick, feeling Callie's body twitch under hers, then quickly crawled up her body, attaching their lips, swallowing her girlfriend's moan at the taste of herself.

Before she knew what was happening, Callie's hand that lay between them flipped upwards, two fingers sliding deep inside of the blonde. Surprised, and unbelievably fucking close, she broke their kiss, throwing her head back as her hips grinded against her girlfriend. Callie's palm rolled against her clit, and she thrust in again. On her next push inward, the thought occurred to the blonde that the fingers inside of her were the same ones that had just been inside her girlfriend, and with that she was done. Her thighs clamped around her wrist, holding her girlfriend in place as she jerked while her orgasm flooded all of her senses.

Soon, she found herself lying in the sleeping bag while Callie's deliciously naked body curled next to her, after having zipped up the bag as well as piling on their other blankets. As her girlfriend nuzzled her face into her shoulder, Callie said, "I don't think you've ever come that fast before."

Still feeling a little dazed by it, she rolled onto her stomach, slipping her hand over the Latina's stomach, "I don't think I ever have," she agreed, closing her eyes with a smile on her face, "Just watching you touch yourself…" she hummed at the thought of it, her fingers tracing circles into the soft skin of Callie's side.

Callie yawned, "Really?" as the arm she had around Arizona's shoulders slipped down a bit so she was able to rub the muscles lightly.

"Oh, yeah," she didn't think she would ever forget those mental images. Not that she ever wanted to. With a deep breath, she settled down, first on her stomach, closing her eyes in preparation for sleep. But then she rolled onto her side. And then her other side.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Callie asked, half-asleep already, as she felt Arizona rolling around, fidgeting in their conjoined sleeping bags.

The blonde laid down her head, resting on Callie's shoulder before blowing out a puff of breath onto her shoulder, "I can't get comfortable. I just can't sleep on the freaking ground."

Fighting off the sleepy haze that wanted to overtake her mind, Callie slid her arm down the blonde's smooth back, securing it around her waist, then rolled, so she was completely on her back, with Arizona on top of her. Goosebumps pleasantly rippled on her skin as Arizona's breasts pushed against her abdomen, right under her own and a leg fell softly between her thighs. Yawning, she asked, "How's this?"

The blonde wiggled just a little bit, dropping her head down to Callie's chest, "It's nice." Shifting once more, she sighed lightly against her girlfriend's warm skin, "Are you sure you'll be comfortable like this?"

"Hmm," Callie sighed, sleep already starting to take over, her next words slurred a bit as she succumbed, "Yeah, comfy. Don't move."

She didn't plan on it, she thought with a smile, pressing her lips to the Latina's shoulder, whispering, "I don't plan on it."

Feeling Callie's curves pressed so deliciously, comfortably against her own, she felt the last couple days of sleepiness take over her mind. So maybe she didn't really enjoy camping and it wasn't going to be something she suggested they do annually, but she supposed it wasn't all that bad.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! Everyone who already does review is the bees knees (yeah, I said that). You're the best. Thanks so much for reading!**


	33. Salsa

"Can I take this thing off from over my eyes, yet?" Arizona's voice asked to the right of her, from where the blonde sat in the passenger seat of the car.

Flickering her eyes to her girlfriend, whose hands were tapping out an impatient rhythm against her thighs, Callie grinned, "Not yet. Almost, but not yet."

Though Arizona's eyes were covered, she _knew_ they would be rolling at her, hearing the exasperation in the blonde's voice, "It's been almost four hours, Calliope!"

She knew giving Arizona time updates was a bad idea, she thought, shaking her head at herself. Walked right into that one, "Yeah, it's been four hours already, and we're almost there, so you don't want to ruin your four hours of patiently waiting, do you?"

Arizona slumped down in her seat, crossing her arms with that slight sigh of giving in, "I guess not."

Callie couldn't even take the attitude seriously when her girlfriend had one of her long, thin scarves wrapped around her head, with that cute little lower lip sticking out just a bit.

She was behind the wheel of her light blue T-Bird, which had been her sixteenth birthday present from her parents, and enjoying the crap out of it. It was so rare that she was actually able to drive it these days, because she lived so close to everywhere she needed to go in the city. Her apartment was within walking distance of campus – where parking was horrendous and just not worth it, at all. Then she could take the subway for less than fifteen minutes to anywhere else she might need.

So her baby sat all alone in storage, calling out to her from afar. And for the first time in far too long, she had a reason to go out on a long drive. Earlier today, around two in the afternoon, she'd pulled up in front of Arizona's apartment, and the way the blonde's mouth had fallen open in shock was simply priceless.

"What is this?" she'd asked, leaning into the open passenger side window, her eyes running over the vehicle that Callie routinely kept up, despite not driving it very often.

Affectionately, she ran her hand up and down the dashboard, "It's not an it," she lightly admonished, "It's a lady. A fine, classic lady."

Blue eyes rolled, "Okay, fine, it's a lady. Whose lady is it?"

"Mine," she replied, then leaned over to open the door from the inside, pushing it open and gesturing in a wave for Arizona to climb in.

So she did, slowly, pulling the door closed behind her, "When did you buy a car?"

She chuckled, trailing her hand down over the radio in the middle, then over to where Arizona's hand was resting, lacing their fingers together, "I didn't just go buy her; we've been together since I was sixteen. She mostly lives in storage up here in Boston."

Her girlfriend looked at her with mock suspicion, "What else don't I know about you?"

Turning the key in the ignition, the engine roared to life, bringing a rather primal smile to Callie's face. Shooting Arizona a sly grin, she said, "I shot a man in Vegas just to see him die?"

A slim hand was held over the blonde's heart, "Oh my, what a ruffian. Golly gee, I feel so scared, whatever shall I do?" she asked, her voice high pitched, eyes dancing in laughter.

Keeping her blinker on, she turned out into the street, lowering her voice, "What about… I have a wife and six kids living two states over?"

Immediately a scowl appeared on those pink lips, "Not funny in the slightest, Calliope."

Keeping a straight face, despite how much she wanted to smile at the blonde, she lifted an eyebrow, "Who said I was kidding?"

Sniffing, Arizona tilted her head up into the air, "Well, then, I feel bad for those poor kids. They're good-looking, no doubt, but with how much time you spend with me, they're probably feeling neglected. And that wife, she must be feeling pretty frustrated."

As she stopped at a red light, she nodded, "Oh, they're adorable. All of them – Callie Jr., Callie III, Callie, IV, Callie V –"

Arizona cut her off, "All of your theoretical children are named after yourself?"

"Oh, yeah. Just like George Foreman and all of his kids, you know? Decided to go that kind of traditional route," she tossed back, grinning as Arizona laughed.

Rolling down the window and resting her arm on the door, she asked, "So secret wife and kids aside – really, what are we doing? What's so great about today that you're pulling out the big guns?"

Accelerating as the light turned green, she reached across, into the glove compartment, and pulled out a scarf, "Put this on. I'm surprising you."

Even though Arizona took the scarf, she didn't put it on, instead holding it in her lap, "Surprising me where? With what?"

Taking a turn that would lead her to the highway, she tapped her hand on her girlfriend's thigh, "If I told you what the surprise was and where we were going for it, it wouldn't really be a surprise now, would it? Now, put the scarf on over your eyes. No peeking!"

Arizona did as she was told, despite some grumbling along the way, "Fine. The scarf is over the eyes. I did think we've established that I do not like surprises very much, though."

Grimacing, she thought of the surprise birthday party disaster almost two months ago, "Yep, all clear on that front." Resting her hand where she'd gently tapped it against the blonde's leg seconds ago – Arizona was wearing a pair of almost scandalously short denim shorts and along with her butt, Callie had learned long ago that her girlfriend's legs were another miracle of this universe.

Pulling onto the practically clear, traffic free highway, she could still see the way Arizona's eyes had widened in that surprised that she hated to feel, the way she'd fallen down… "Okay, I'll give you a small hint. We're going on a mini-vacation."

The blonde froze slightly under her hand, "But, we just got back from a vacation."

Callie laughed, because she could tell from the tone of Arizona's voice she thought they might be taking another camping sort of adventure, "That was… camping. This will be a real vacation. Just to remind you that you are awesome and that I love you."

Arizona's shoulders relaxed and her posture melted into the seat behind her, "A real vacation, huh? Sounds… interesting. Should I expect a hotel? Or –"

Lifting her hand from the creamy thigh, she pressed her index finger against Arizona's lips, "Nope, that's all you're getting from me about what to expect. We'll be gone for a week, to kick off our summer the right way. I mean, camping with Tim and Addison was definitely an adventure, but our summer begins with a Callie and Arizona trip."

She let her hand fall back down, keeping one hand on the wheel, the other running in small circles on the blonde's upper leg, while Arizona bit her lip, "Hmm. I like the sound of that."

They'd returned from camping two days ago, and when they'd entered Arizona's apartment, the blonde had flung herself to her bed, wrapping herself in the blankets and snuggling her face into her pillow, proclaiming, "Sweet civilization!"

It had been kind of ridiculously cute, or maybe that was just because she found most things her girlfriend did cute. But at the same time, the weekend and Arizona's relief at being back in the city illuminated how much she did not like spending time out in the woods, sleeping in a tent. And yet, she'd done it for her, and Callie knew that.

The trip had worked out pretty great for her, as her talk with Addison seemed to really sink in this time. Arizona had excitedly told her how the redhead had taken her aside the morning of their return back to town and had apologized for not treating her with respect. And that had been good for Arizona, too, but still…

Aside from the whole camping venture, this morning, Arizona had had to bring Tim to the airport so he could fly down to Virginia; he had taken almost a week in vacation days himself, and he had to report to the base to start station work within the next few days. Even though he wasn't being deployed again right away, she knew her girlfriend was going to miss him.

Which was when her genius idea had hit – she should treat Arizona to a real vacation, one that she would actually enjoy, as opposed to roughing it in the woods. So she'd called Aria and Felix and asked if she could take advantage of the house they owned in the Hamptons for the next week. They had given her the go-ahead right away, given that their next plan to use the house wasn't for another month.

She already had a key to get in, and all she had to do was pack. So she'd waited until her girlfriend had left to bring her brother to the airport, and Callie had snuck in – though she wasn't sure it counted as sneaking in when she had her own key – and packed a bag.

Granted, it was a really light bag. She'd thrown in some of her favorite underwear, a few bras, shorts and tank tops. Then she'd gotten really distracted when she found her girlfriend's bikini selection. There was a pretty conservatively cut sapphire blue one, that Callie was sure would make Arizona's eyes shine like they really were jewels. Then there was a jet black one, in which insanely inappropriate – bordering on obscene, maybe – amount of ass would be shown. Licking her lips just thinking about how delicious the blonde was going to look in either of those options, she lightly scraped her nails up and down Arizona's thigh.

The bag containing Arizona's things rested in the trunk, next to her own bag, and had since hours ago. Successfully, she'd managed to swipe the clothes without the blonde noticing.

They had made the four hour drive without a hitch, even without Arizona taking off the scarf, even though Callie had expected her girlfriend to have shed that at least two hours ago. What really surprised her was when the blonde had kept it on, even when Callie stopped at a drive through to grab something quick for dinner, then had eaten with it still on. Granted, she was sure the boy who gave them their food through the drive-through window had some pretty strange ideas as to why Arizona was blindfolded…

She pulled into the long, winding driveway to the extravagant house her sister and brother-in-law owned, she slowly came to a stop, "Don't get out yet," she requested, then slipped out her door, hurrying across to the other side and opening the passenger side.

Arizona was already reaching her hands up to meet Callie's before she even had to say what she was doing, and it was small things like that that could make her day even brighter. Slipping the blonde's hands into hers, she tugged, helping her girlfriend out of the car, and turning her body so she was looking at the house, as her hands reached up and took off the makeshift blindfold they'd been using.

The gasp that fell from Arizona's lips made her smile, the grin growing even bigger as shocked blue eyes stared up at the house, then back her, meeting her shining brown ones, then dodging back, "Calliope… where… what… what?"

She understood the amazement; the house was a large, two story, sprawling estate. It was painted a remarkably up kept blinding white paint with baby blue shudders, and a wraparound porch. Right behind the house, framing the background, was the ocean. And Callie was supremely excited that they'd arrived just in time for the sun to be setting, making the already impressive house even more gorgeous, with dusk right on the horizon of the water out back.

"This is our vacation!" she announced, bringing her hands to rest on Arizona's hips from behind, the golden wavy ponytail brushing her face as her girlfriend just shook her head in disbelief.

"Where are we?" Arizona finally seemed to find her voice, still taking in the huge house, before spinning in Callie's arms, staring at her inquisitively.

Somehow, the brunette wasn't entirely certain exactly because when it came to Arizona her hands had a mind of their own, her fingers were caressing the soft, bare skin of the blonde's lower back, "We are in the Hamptons. This is Aria and Felix's summer house."

The way Arizona's jaw dropped might have been comical if the sheer shock and confusion peppering her expression didn't make Callie feel that slightly uncomfortable feeling when talking about her family's money, "Summer house? _Summer house_? This – this mansion, is your sisters summer house? How big is her year-round house?"

Callie thought of the huge actual mansion in which her sister lived, which was even slightly smaller than the one the two of them had grown up in. Blushing, she shrugged and kicked her foot at the grass lightly, "It's not… _huge_ huge. I mean, yeah, it's bigger than this."

Arizona nodded slowly, as if digesting the information, "Bigger than this? _Bigger than this?_" her eyes widened, taking in the house in front of them again, "This is like the size of a resort or something."

Biting her lip, she shrugged, "I mean… it's not that big compared to some of the other houses around here." The one her parents owned, for example, just down the road, was even bigger.

She dropped her hands and stepped backwards, but Arizona stayed with her, keeping her hands on Callie's waist, as if they'd just done some sort of dance move, and her voice was soft, "Hey, I didn't meant to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm just… mind-blown that I'm going to stay in a ginormous house in the Hamptons this week for a vacation. It even feels weird to say out loud," she giggled a little bit.

A returning one came from her own mouth, if anything, simply because her girlfriend saying the words was just too adorable. She looked as though she could hardly believe them, and suddenly, she felt a little ridiculous, "I didn't mean to just pull back and make things weird, I just… people have always made a big deal about my family's money, and, I don't know. But it was stupid, because I know you don't care about that. I know that."

"You're hardly a spoiled little rich girl, Calliope," her girlfriend said, lifting an eyebrow at her, "You're kind, and sweet, and caring, and completely selfless. You're awesome. You are super awesome," she beamed up at her, dimples on full display.

"So are you, which is why you deserve a nice vacation, in a _ginormous_ house in the Hamptons," she joked, repeating her girlfriend's word from earlier, before going to pop the trunk and pull out both of their bags.

A few hours later, they sat on the porch swing outside, facing the beach. They'd gone inside, and unpacked their clothes into Callie's room. There was the technical master bedroom that they could use, but her own room in the house was almost as impressive. Balcony doors that faced the ocean, a connected bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, which they'd already enjoyed. Then she'd given Arizona a tour of the house, and the blonde had subsequently taken pictures of where they were and sent them to her family. Tim's response made them laugh, _Callie let us go camping when she had that house at her disposal?!_

It was dark, and instead of turning on the porch lights to illuminate the area around them, Callie had found her sister's stash of candles. She'd known they would be around the house, somewhere, because her sister loved them. With both of her very young, very curious children, it had been a while since she'd lit up a house with them, but she still had them.

So they were scattered on the railing and lining against the side of the house, casting them in a muted light. Arizona had both feet curled up next to her, her head lying against Callie's shoulder. Her hair was down, and the waves had turned into curls after drying with the salty air; she liked it.

Sitting snuggled up to Arizona outside on a porch swing, able to see the ocean waves crash down on the sand only yards ahead of them, while music played softly from the sound system Felix had set up outside, with her arm around the blonde's waist, slipping under the light sweatshirt she had on, her fingers stroking into her skin – was probably the most calming, relaxing thing in the world.

Feeling her girlfriend inhale, then sigh against her neck, she leaned back a few inches to get eye contact, "What's up?"

"Just thinking about how you're perfect," was the response she got, Arizona's face completely serious, as she shifted slightly to press her lips against Callie's, the sheer intensity behind the look in her girlfriend's eyes making her groan, then the sound escaped her again, this time disappointed, as Arizona pulled back all too soon, "And you're even more perfect because you don't think you're perfect."

Lifting her other hand that wasn't already resting on her, she tunneled her fingers into Arizona's hair, pushing it back from her face, "I'm not. I get mad really easily. And when I'm mad I freeze people out. And sometimes I get overly-emotional, and then do things that don't make sense. And –"

She was cut off again by soft lips, against hers, just brushing again, before pulling away, "Okay, so even with flaws, you're still perfect."

Rubbing her fingers against Arizona's waist, smiling as she felt goose bumps erupt under her hand, she lifted an eyebrow, "If something is perfect, they do not have flaws. I believe that is in the definition."

The blonde huffed at her, bringing up her hands and scratching lightly against the back of Callie's neck – a feeling the taller woman loved – before shaking her head, "Fine, I will correct my last statement to say: you're perfect, to me."

"Perfect _for_ you," she said quietly, and the force of the love she was feeling just rushed through her, making her fingers and toes tingle.

"That, too," Arizona smiled, and lowered her head back down to Callie's shoulder.

This was one of those times where Callie thought back to the way Arizona was when they first met. She was so closed off to the possibility of love – of any relationship, at all – but now that she was in a relationship, in love, Callie didn't think there was anyone else on the planet who was better at it. No one could be better at loving someone than Arizona. Both physically and emotionally, she thought with a grin.

"You are wrong there," the blonde spoke, and made Callie aware that the words she'd been thinking had actually tumbled out of her mouth. "_You_, Calliope Iphegenia Torres, are better at loving than I am. Both physically and emotionally," she added on, teasing, before becoming serious once again, "You're the reason that I am the way I am. If you had been anyone else in Joe's that night, I would probably be the same woman I was, with my rules and still thinking that Joanne was it for me."

Dipping her head down to press a kiss against the head with the blonde curls that were tickling her face, she whispered, "How about we both agree that we're just equally amazing?"

Arizona nodded against her, "Deal." A few beats of silence passed between them before the blonde's started laughing, pulling back out of Callie's grip and looking at her, mirth written all over her face, "We are sitting here talking about who's more perfect. No, you're more perfect. _No, you're more perfect_," she imitated them, still chuckling, "If we weren't us and I heard anyone else saying these things, I would just be shaking my head at them. And possibly gagging."

She couldn't help but laugh, too, because her girlfriend was one hundred percent correct, "We can get pretty bad," she agreed, "But at least we've never had you-hang-up-first conversations on the phone. That's where I draw the line… but other than that, I'm okay with being _that_ couple."

"Badass, hardcore Calliope Torres," Arizona teased. Grinning, before she could respond, the music playing into the night around them switched, and she got an idea. Pushing herself up, off the swing, the teasing lilt was vanished from her girlfriend's voice, "What? Where are you going? Come back."

Shaking her head, she walked to the speakers and turned up the volume, "Earlier, when we were outside, you made me think of something." Walking back to the swing, she held out her hands, "Salsa dancing," she explained when Arizona simply lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Calliope, I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm sure you've put it together – I'm not much of a dancer. I mean, I'll have a good time and dance badly to whatever music we're listening to with you, but unless it's a nice, swaying slow song, I really can't dance," she finished in a stage whisper, making Callie laugh. That laughter just increased when she added on, "And I definitely cannot salsa."

Feeling the music start to pump through her, she lifted her arms slightly, hips starting to shake to the beat, and reveled in the way her girlfriend's eyes stared at her. She could see Arizona swallow hard, as blue eyes darkened just a bit. Her voice was just a hint deeper than usual when she spoke, "And I really, really can't move my hips like _that_. But dear god, am I so, so, so happy that you can."

Reaching down, she took the blonde's hands in hers and pulled, making her stand even though Arizona wasn't really putting up any resistance. "For someone who is resistant to dancing the salsa with me, you're easily drawn into it."

Her girlfriend's eyes locked onto hers, explaining, "Calliope, when you move your hips like that, I would probably be drawn into anything with you."

The fact that the words were completely true was what made Callie smile. Placing her hands on her girlfriend's waist, lightly, she instructed, "Okay, first you need to start moving your hips to the beat. Just feel it, moving through you."

Her girlfriend's hips did start moving under her hands, briefly, before she paused, "I feel like Baby in Dirty Dancing, you know in that scene where she tells the guy that she carried a watermelon?"

Not letting her hands drop, still encouraging the movement, she smiled, "Well, did you see how well she moved at the end?" Not stopping her own movements, she lifted her hands to draw down the zipper on the blonde's sweatshirt, slowly pulling it until the sides fell open, revealing the tight, white tank top underneath. The tight white tank top that made it apparent her girlfriend was not wearing a bra, she thought, her own movements stumbling just for a second as her heart skipped a beat, "You have to get rid of this."

Slipping the sweatshirt over her shoulders, she tossed it back onto the swing. Before she could bring her hands to the blonde's hips, Arizona's knowing smile slipped up onto her face, "Oh, really? I believe that is just your attempt at getting me naked."

Feeling a chuckle leave her throat, feeling her stomach clench just imagining the way the blonde looked, naked, under her, she lifted an eyebrow, "Like I need to attempt that under the guise of salsa."

"Very true," Arizona acknowledged, dimples popping as she grinned back.

"This is about feeling the music," her voice was unintentionally low, as she slid her hands back to Arizona's hips, caressing the few inches of skin that showed between her tank top and the top of her sweatpants, before dipping her fingers lower, into the waistband and starting to tug those own as well, before slim hands clamped over hers.

Holding still in place, Arizona lifted an eyebrow, "Calliope, if you wanted to get me naked, all you really had to do was ask. Or even grunt. Or give me one of those _looks_ with your eyebrow all slanted at me."

Laughing, she continued on her path, pulling the pants down and letting Arizona step out of them, her heart beating faster just at the sight before her. Because goddamn, her girlfriend was hot. The underwear she was wearing were one of her typically worn lacy boy shorts, which were riding up just enough to reveal the swell of the curve of her ass, making Callie's center clench. And really, that just made the prospect of salsa dancing even better, "To properly salsa, you have to be in the _mood_. It's not just dancing. It's a state of mind."

Arizona's mouth hung slightly open, her breathing coming faster, "Well, in order for me to get into those mood, I think you're the one who needs to take off her clothes." Her hands were already unzipping Callie's sweatshirt, a light whimper coming out, "You're not wearing a bra?"

Throwing her shirt with the blonde's, she lifted an eyebrow, "Neither are you!"

Blue eyes were just focused on how she could see the outline of dark nipples through the thin undershirt she had on, and she irrationally rationalized, "Yes, but my boobs are my boobs, and _your_ boobs are _your boobs_. They are the eight world wonder. Or would they be eighth and ninth?"

Laughing, she shrugged, then dipped her thumbs into the waist of her sweatpants, dragging them down as well, feeling a light shiver at the chill in the air. When their clothes were out of the way, both of them standing facing each other in thin tank tops that did nothing to disguise the fact that both of the tips of their breasts were hard, and underwear that was slightly damp already, they made eye contact, and Callie said, "I think you're ready to begin your lesson."

"If all salsa lessons are taught like this, I don't know why every person in the world can't salsa," Arizona deadpanned, then took a deep breath, "All right. I'm ready to be taught."

Taking a different tactic than before, Callie reached her hands out, feeling the curve of Arizona's hips under them, resuming the rhythm her hips had been moving in before. Her whispered voice was lower than she intended for it to be, as she stepped closer, pressing their bodies against each other, "The best way for you to learn the rhythm with your hips is to feel it. Really feel it," she whispered, sliding her leg between Arizona's feeling her heat against her thigh through her boyshorts.

This time, the blonde's hips started moving in time with Callie's within seconds, and her breath shuddered out, "Is this it? Because I really like this."

Laughing, she shook her head, "Nope. Doing the salsa is like telling a love story. You have to –"

Blue eyes that had been closed as Arizona's breathing became ragged flipped open as Callie stopped talking, "What?"

Callie's eyebrows drew down in confusion, her movements stopping briefly, "I thought I heard a car pull up."

"Baby, you're the one who told me earlier than you never see anyone here by surprise," Arizona reminded her, her eyes hooded.

Nodded, she stroked her hands upward, to rest on the blonde's waist, then back down, "Now, to continue –" but then they both stopped, because there were definitely footsteps headed this way.

Springing apart, all they had time to do before the footsteps got closer was for Arizona to toss Callie her sweatshirt before the visitor came into view. Her eyes widened, heart stopping and simultaneously falling into the pit of her stomach, "Daddy?"

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I apologize for being a few hours later than usual, the internet at my school was down for a few hours. I'm also glad so many of you look forward to and appreciate my every other day updating! I promise to keep it up unless something stupid happens, like the wifi goes out again. Thank you for reading!**


	34. Carlos

She could feel her heart pounding as a blush burned her cheeks hotter than she'd ever felt. There were words – so many words – stuck in her throat that just weren't coming out. All she could manage to say was a weak, choked, "What are you doing here?"

Her dad's face was just as red as she imagined her own to be as he looked about as flustered as she had ever seen him, maybe even more than the last time she'd seen him. Then, he'd seen her fairly tamely kissing her then-girlfriend. Now he'd just witness she and Arizona half-dressed in a compromising "salsa" position.

Though his eyes were tightly closed, his mouth floundered open for a few seconds and she held her breath waiting to see what he would say as she clutched the sweatshirt in front of her. And then he just turned on his heel and started to walk back to where he came from, which forced her to speak again, "Are you leaving?"

"Calliope… meet me inside," he responded, his voice hoarse, "After you've… you're ready."

He disappeared around the corner, and for a second, she just stared at where he'd been standing, until Arizona appeared in front of her, redressed, holding out her sweatpants. Before she took them, she focused in on her girlfriend's face, "That just happened, right? My dad just appeared here and said to meet him inside? That wasn't just a really weird illusion?"

Arizona took the sweatshirt from her hands while she slipped on the pants, and confirmed, "No, that wasn't an illusion. Your dad really is here, and he really is waiting inside."

She couldn't stop her thoughts from racing, as much as she told herself to calm down – what was he doing here? Had he known she would have been here? He had to have; her car, that he'd bought for her, was parked right out front. What did he want?

It wasn't until she felt her girlfriend tugging the front of her sweatshirt together and pulling up the zipper than she realized the blonde had slipped it on her. Big, deep cerulean eyes looked into hers, concern palpable, "What are you thinking?"

"I don't… I'm not sure," she answered, biting her lip, then looking over her shoulder, "He's waiting inside. I don't even know."

She was drawn back to her girlfriend when the hands that had just zipped up her sweatshirt drew down to grip at the front pockets in her hoodie, "Hey. What are you feeling right now?"

Blowing her breath out, she shrugged her shoulders restlessly. She was feeling a lot of emotions, each one zipping through her faster than the speed of light, then leaving residual feelings left over to mix with all of the others. She was angry because of the way he'd reacted and treated her, and sad because of the same things, and even though there were all these bad feelings, she couldn't help but feel this small zing of hope.

Her stomach felt like it was tied up in knots – knots that all got tangled with each other and were then being moved around, "I feel… a lot of things. I feel mad and upset and… kind of excited and then stupid," she rambled on, just picturing her father sitting inside.

Those hands slid out of her pockets, then slid around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace, bringing one of her hands up to stroke through the dark hair that spilled around Callie's shoulders, whispering, "Okay. Just take a few seconds and breathe."

Though she was still tense – she couldn't help it – she rested her head on Arizona's shoulder and breathed in the jasmine smell that was still on her skin from their earlier Jacuzzi tub. And it helped, if not to calm her racing thoughts or heartbeat, but to know that regardless what her dad was here to say to her, that she had Arizona behind her.

Clinging onto her girlfriend for a few seconds more, she drew back, holding onto the blonde at the elbows, "I'm ready to go in."

Arizona smoothed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind either ear, before giving her a small smile, "Lead the way."

They found her father standing in the den, his arms crossed in front of him, as he stared out the floor length windows at the ocean outside. When they came across the doorway, he slowly turned, and with every inch, Callie felt like the giant butterflies in her stomach grew even bigger. She spoke first, gesturing toward the blonde, "This is Arizona. My girlfriend."

When he came to a stop, he eyed Arizona, then cleared his throat, "I was hoping we could talk, alone."

Quickly, she reached out and took the blonde's hand in hers, finding comfort in the connection, angry at his dismissal, "No, you can't just tell her to go. She's a part of my life – she's _the_ part of my life. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of her."

Her dad narrowed his eyes, mostly in Arizona's direction, and before either Torres could say anything in this stalemate, her girlfriend squeezed her hand, "Calliope, really, I'll just go take a walk on the beach. You two talk."

Not wanting the blonde to go or to feel like she had to, she held tight to her, "No –"

At the same time, Carlos responded with, "Thank you."

Turning to glare at him, Arizona ran her thumb over her knuckles, then disentangled hers, whispering, "I love you." With one last comforting stroke of her hand over the Latina's shoulders, she left through the sliding glasses back doors.

They both watched her retreating back for a few seconds before she crossed her arms, mirroring his pose as they faced each other. Never before in her life had she felt awkward around her father. Growing up, he'd been the person she leaned on more than anything, and he had always made her feel safe and secure. Not just because of money, but because of him. And then he took that safe and secure feeling away, and she'd had to learn to live without it.

Breaking the silence, she tapped her fingers against her arm, "So… what are you doing here? You knew I was here, right?"

He looked offended that she was even asking that, "Of course I knew you were here. Your sister told me, but she didn't tell me you were here with… Well, I've been at a conference in the city for a few days, and I thought..." His arms fell to his sides, and he took a few steps toward her, but stopped within a few feet, his voice quieter, "Calliope… I've missed you."

Those words broke something in her, and her vision was immediately blurry with tears that she tried to blink back, "How can you say that?" her voice broke and she had to swallow twice before she could continue, "How can you not talk to me for almost a year, then come here and tell me you missed me?"

His expression tightened, "You used to call, once a week, every week. You would call and we would talk for hours, about everything, and you would always tell me what was wrong. And you, Calliope, stopped calling."

"I stopped calling because how was I supposed to call you and tell you what was wrong when _you_ were what was wrong? Daddy, you were the one who said that if I wouldn't transfer to the U of Miami and live with you and break up with Erica, then I had was on my own," she yelled, throwing her hands into the air, frantic. How dare her come and accuse her…

"And you chose her. You chose being in a relationship with that _woman_ over your own parents," he said back, his voice rising in response to hers.

"I did not choose some woman over my parents, I chose myself! If you hadn't been so closed minded, if _you_ hadn't told me to make an ultimatum then maybe you would have known, but Erica and I broke up last year, right after you caught us together," she her voice got smaller at the end, as she flashed back to how that had felt when Erica had left. Up and disappeared, and how utterly alone she'd felt without her parents or girlfriend.

The older man took a few seconds to let that sink in, but then said, "Please, Calliope, it's been a year, since I've seen you, talked to you. You didn't even call on your birthday, after you got the flowers."

Gaping at him, she asked, "You – you meant to send those?"

His eyebrows lowered on confusion, "Of course I meant to send them; the day you were born was one of the happiest days of my life. I wouldn't forget that no matter what was going on between us."

Confused, she just shook her head, "I don't… why wouldn't you have just called me? Why didn't you just talk to me and tell me – anything? I don't care about the flowers themselves, but I would have cared that you still meant to send them," she could head the sheer desperation in her own voice but she didn't know how to stop it.

His shoulders drew up in a manner that she recognized she did herself when she felt cornered or helpless or distressed, "Because I didn't know how to talk to you anymore. One day, you were just my little girl, who leaned on me for everything, and then the next minute, you were kissing a woman. That's… it's an abomination, Calliope. It's a sin you will have to pay for, for the rest of your life in a damnation in hell. How was I supposed to talk to my daughter – what do I say – when I know you're throwing everything in this life away to dabble in college experimentation?"

Her mouth fell open, fury pounded through her veins, "College experimentation? Are you kidding me? This is not college experimentation, this is my _life_."

"One minute I see you and you're with that Erica, and the next, I walk in on you with that – that Arizona. How serious can these relationships with these women be when you're flitting through –"

Stepping right in front of him, she held up her finger right in front of his face – something she knew he hated – before cutting him off, "You don't know anything! I've been with Arizona since September," kind of, "And since we've been together, she has been the best person I have ever been with. She's always there for me and never lets me down, which is more than I can say for one of us here."

His voice was low, "She is sending you to hell. How is that looking out for you?"

"The only person in this equation, who thinks I'm going to hell, daddy, is you. And that's not your call to make. I am a good person; I am going to do _great_ things – and so is she, for that matter. You have always given whoever I brought home a chance; you liked George, and he ended up cheating on me. Arizona just graduated, and she's going to do her residency at _Harvard Medical School_ for crying out loud. She's brilliant and she's caring, and if she had a penis, you would have stood behind her in a heartbeat," she finished, crossing her arms again, while those stupid tears that she didn't want returned.

He took a step closer to her, "Don't cry. It's all right."

But she took a step back, because she knew he was going to wrap his arms around her in the way that he'd always done, because he'd told her ever since she could remember that seeing her cry tore him up inside, and she wanted him to just hug her and make her feel better _so badly_. And she took another step back, "No, it's not. You can't only have me, love me, be proud of me, when I am who you want. You have to take me the way I am, all of the time. And the way I am, is bisexual. Who I am is a woman who loves her girlfriend. You can't just take bits and pieces of who I am and say that you love me. It's all or nothing."

When he spoke, it was in a harsh whisper, and his eyes – so paradoxically light that she'd always thought they made him some sort of secret royalty when she was little – searched her face, "I can't accept that, that part of you."

"Then I guess we don't have anything else to say. Sorry you came all the way out here for no reason," she managed to get out before her throat burned too hot with tears that begged to be shed, making it nearly impossible to breathe as he gave her one last look, then walked away.

* * *

As soon as she had left the house she wanted to go back. Just seeing the anxiety, how upset Callie had been, how her brown eyes had looked at her, begging her, telling her that she didn't have to leave them alone. And guilt ate at her for leaving.

But it was the right thing to do, she told herself, glancing back up to the house. As much as Callie had clung onto her hand and told her not to go, she'd had to. She and her father hadn't spoken to each other in a year, and as far as she knew, he didn't approve of Callie being with women, and by extension, he didn't approve of her. Her presence wouldn't have resulted in a productive conversation, and she knew that. So she'd left.

And now she wanted to go back. She hadn't been gone for that long, but maybe she could just sit out on the porch swing for a little while. It was hard to enjoy the beach and the beautiful scenery of it when she knew that Callie might be having a miserable time up in the house.

Maybe she wasn't, she told herself to look on the bright side. Callie's dad had come here, sought her out to talk, so maybe that boded well. Maybe they had made up inside and when she returned, she would find a happy, at peace girlfriend who had made up with her father. Those thoughts were dashed when she walked up the steps and saw Carlos' back to her, his hands braced on the railing in front of him.

Pausing, she looked at the doors in front of her, but instead slowly walked to where he stood. Drawing up next to him, she felt a little intimidated, but she knew she couldn't just walk away without saying anything. He barely glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and second later she began, "You don't know me, but I think we have a few things to say to each other."

He took a deep breath, then turned his head to look down at her, "You're right; I don't know you, and that means that I don't know you well enough to talk about her with you."

The way he zeroed in on her made her want to squirm, but she grew up with the Colonel, and she knew how to stand her own ground, "Then I will do the talking." Because the way she saw it, she couldn't really sink lower in his eyes than she already was, "Most people think I was named for the state, but it's not true. I was named for a battle ship. The U.S.S. Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and he saved 19 men before he drowned. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in a storm. Raised me to love my country. To love my family. To protect the things I love. When my father - Colonel Daniel Robbins, the United States Marine Corp - heard that I was a lesbian, he said he had only one question. I was prepared for, "How fast can you get the hell out of my house?" But instead, it was, "Are you still who I raised you to be?" My father believed in country the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends, but he bent for me because I'm his daughter." The words fell from her lips, the same story she'd told Callie once – months ago – and she hoped he could take something from it. Anything.

His eyes were still on her, wearily, and despite his silence, she felt more confident in herself. Crossing her arms over her chest, she bit her lip, waiting for him to say something – anything – but he still just stared at her, and more words sprang forth, "And if it means anything, my father – my incredibly strong-willed, stern father, loves Calliope. Actually, both of my parents do. So does my brother, and I've met and get along with Aria and her family as well. Because we are not just a fling."

"Of course your parents like her; it's impossible to not like my Calliope," he stated, his voice low, and she was pleasantly surprised by it.

"I don't mean to insult you or make you feel attacked, but you've been doing a pretty good job of acting like you don't for as long as I've known her," she said, her tone carefully not malicious, but her arms tightened across her chest, thinking of all of the times she'd held Callie as she cried because of her parents.

He drew into himself, his posture so tense she wondered how he didn't break, "Of course I like her – I will always like her and love her. She is my daughter. It's because of that, that I can't just stand by and watch as she throws her life away to live a life in sin."

Exasperation crawled through her, landing in the pit of her stomach, "I'm a good man in a storm. I love your daughter. And I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to. She doesn't need it. She's strong, and caring, and honorable. She's who you raised her to be. But with all due respect, mostly all of the times I have had to protect her, to be there for her, have been because of you."

His eyes – unlike his daughter's which were so expressive and open – watched her, before he shook his head, "I am not going to do this. My Calliope is not your Calliope," was all he could say before he turned and walked away.

"Yes, she is," she said back, but her voice was drowned out by the ocean waves slamming onto shore and the sound of his footsteps as he walked down the front steps.

When she heard the roar of his car engine, she sighed and walked into the house, locking the door behind her before tentatively calling out, "Calliope?"

But she received no answer. Peeking into the den, she saw that the lights were off and it was empty. This was the bad thing about a large house, she supposed; it would take a long time to go through every room in order to find someone you were looking for. But Arizona believed in working smarter not harder, and she thought the next place that it would make sense to look for her girlfriend was in their bedroom.

Making her way up the stairs, she quietly opened the closed door, seeing how the light was off. But she heard quiet breathing, and as her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see the outline of her girlfriend's body lying in the bed.

Quickly making her way over to the large bed that felt like what she imagined it would feel like to climb onto a giant cloud, she unzipped her hoodie on the way, dropping it as she climbed on top of the comforter and crawled across the expanse of the mattress until she reached her girlfriend. Her eyes searched her face, and she briefly wondered whether or not she was sleeping before brown eyes opened and met hers.

So freaking expressive, she thought again, bringing her hand up to trace her hand down a caramel cheek, and she whispered, "Are you okay?"

Because she didn't know what happened while she'd been out on the beach, and all she knew was that it didn't go well. And what she'd said to Callie's dad was the absolute truth – Callie was strong but she was also incredibly caring, and there was only so much rejection someone could take.

Callie nodded her head against the pillow, raven hair sprawled over the pillowcase moving with her, before Arizona watched those eyes fill with tears. Sinking down onto the mattress, she lied on her side, and brought her arm around the curved waist of her girlfriend. As soon as she made contact, Callie turned into her, her face burying itself against Arizona's neck, both of her arms snaking around the blonde and holding on tightly, while one of Arizona's held tight across her back, and the other was buried in dark hair, stroking the scalp underneath.

Hot tears met her skin, and she could feel Callie's breath break against her skin, while her shoulders shook with the intensity of the sobs wracking her body. Closing her own eyes, she felt her own heart ache at the pain her girlfriend was feeling. She didn't deserve to feel like this; no one did, but especially not Callie.

"I just don't – understand," her girlfriend's voice came out, low, gravelly, rumbling against her chest. She felt her girlfriend's hands grab onto the back of her tank top, holding tight, as she continued, "Why can't he just love me?"

Lowering her head, she pressed her lips against the dark hair, thinking of the way Callie's dad had looked earlier, and she knew her words were the absolute truth, "He does. Trust me on this." Bringing her lips back down, she pressed against her girlfriend's warm forehead, this time keeping them there.

She didn't know how long they stayed there, entwined in bed like that, but eventually, Callie's tears subsided and her breathing evened out. Continuing to stroke her hands through her hair for a few seconds, she thought about how she loved that her girlfriend's hands still held onto her as she slept.

Taking a deep breath, she held on, too and sleep came fairly quickly.

Callie woke the next morning from the bedroom door being kicked open. Heart pounding in her chest, she pushed herself up and looked around, yawning, "What –"

Her girlfriend stood in the doorway, holding a tray, and giving her a small smile, "Good morning, beautiful."

Looking to the left into the mirror on top of the bureau, she lifted her eyebrows back at Arizona, "Beautiful? I think not. But thanks for saying it." Her eyes were still red and puffy from falling asleep crying, and she reached her hands up to rub at them.

The blonde walked in, and lifted her eyebrow at Callie, giving her that look with her lips pursed, "Calliope, you would be beautiful no matter what you looked like."

"I don't think that makes sense," she managed to smile, it becoming actually genuine as Arizona stuck her tongue out at her.

The blonde placed the tray on the foot of the bed, "First of all, it makes perfect sense. Second of all, I made you… cereal-and-toast in bed! I'm not going to insult all of the mornings you make me actually good food for breakfast by calling this by the same name," Arizona explained, sliding the tray forward and crawling up the mattress so she was sitting next to her girlfriend.

Somehow, even the toast was burnt. She didn't know how the blonde had managed to mess up the simplest food on the planet to make, but it was too adorable for her to actually be anything more than simply flabbergasted. Before she reached for the bowl of cereal, she turned her head to look at her girlfriend, whose bright blue eyes seemed to shine even more in the mornings than at any other time, "I love you."

Arizona leaned forward, and pressed their lips together lightly, "And I love you. Now, eat."

Callie did as she was told and started on the Special K, thinking of the way the blonde had held onto her last night. There were times when she was positive Arizona was just too good to be true.

The woman on her mind's voice broke her out of her thoughts, "So, what do you want to do today? It's all up to you. I'm more than happy to spend the day in bed and we can just watch some movies, and –"

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head, and thinking of her dad. "Last night is not going to ruin anymore of our vacation than it has to. I've been dealing with it for a year, and I took last night to cry it out, and that's that. I'm done. Moving on," she sounded so sure, she almost convinced herself.

Even though Arizona's face revealed that she didn't quite believe her, she nodded, "Well, like I said, entirely up to you."

A pale hand reached out for one of the burnt pieces, and Callie watched her bring it to her lips, before looking beyond her, out the windows to see the sunny day, "We should spend the day on the beach. I can lather you with sunscreen so you don't fry," she winked, thinking of the stories she'd heard about how easily the blonde sunburned when she spent a lot of time in the sun.

Her girlfriend sighed, a smile tugging up her lips, "I can't think of a better way to spend the day than in a bikini, with your hands on me, while you are also in a bikini. Hurry up and finish your breakfast!" she commanded, leaning back against the pillows.

Chewing on the next bite of cereal, she thought back to a question that had popped into her head last night, one that had been pushed to the back of her mind, "Arizona?" when the blonde hummed back, she asked, "When is our technical anniversary?"

She turned to look at the blonde biting her lip, "That is a good question. I mean, we have early September, when we first… you know. But then we have right before Christmas, where we were together."

Nodding, she put the tray onto the ground and scooted back so she was sitting next to her, "Exactly. And we can't have two anniversaries. Can we?"

Arizona shrugged, a small smile on her face, "I mean, we _could_ but we're already nauseatingly cute, according to everyone. We don't need to be _that couple_ with two anniversaries, too." She snapped her fingers, and her eyes lit up in a way that made Callie's heart skip a beat, "I've got it. December will be our official, actual, couple anniversary. But September will be our sex-iversary. In which, we can celebrate privately. Without… material gifts," she said, her voice low, a sly grin taking over her face.

Grinning back, she nodded, "I like it. It's just cute and sexy enough to work for us… god, we really are that couple, aren't we?"

Arizona giggled, nodding her head, and Callie looked at her and decided that she really didn't care. It worked for them.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! Thank you to everyone who already has/does, you are all awesome. Also, couldn't resist throwing in Arizona's "I protect the things I love" speech because it's one of my favorite parts of the show. Thank you for reading!**


	35. First Day

July 1 – 2:02 am

The summer had flown by. Arizona felt like she blinked, and all of the sudden it was gone. Days of lounging around, waking up late, and having lazy morning with Callie while the muggy heat permeated the air around them were over. The many days spent watching her girlfriend's skin tan an even darker shade while she wore a mouthwateringly revealing red bikini passed too fast. Well, technically there was still almost two months left in the summertime, two months that Callie could enjoy. But for her, now it was _time_.

Today was the day. July first usually signified that summer was barely halfway over, and now it was the first day of the rest of her life. Her stomach danced in anticipation, anxiety mixed with excitement and her hands held onto the top of the sheet that was thrown over her body, while blue eyes stared up at the ceiling.

Callie's light snoring was the only thing to be heard throughout the dark room, and she turned her head to look at her girlfriend. Joanne, the only other person she'd ever shared a bed with, didn't snore, and Arizona had thought that was a good thing. But she found when Callie did it – accompanied by her sometimes sleep mumbling as well – comforted her. But there was really no amount of comfort that could make her feel completely unstressed, not today.

There hadn't been one night they hadn't slept together in the last two months, and she wondered how weird it was now going to feel with her crazy schedule. They usually alternated on whose apartment was closer to wherever they were at night to decide where to sleep – there were pros and cons to both, like Callie having a bigger, nicer place, but she also had a roommate – but last night had been a calculated decision to sleep at the blonde's place.

So that she could get ready for today from the comfort of her own space. Rolling from her back to her side, she pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked down at Callie, who was still sleeping like a rock. Not that she shouldn't be, because it was only just past two in the morning.

The sheet that she had pulled up over her chest had started out over both of them, but in the three or so hours since Callie had fallen asleep had been kicked down, tangling between her legs so that the only part of her body that was still covered was the leg that she had hooked over Arizona's waist.

Lightly, she brought up her hand and rested it against the smooth skin of Callie's bare back. They'd both started out in loose tank tops, and Arizona still wore hers, but from her perch from pushing herself up by the elbow, she could see the brunette's crumpled top on the floor. Slowly, she slid her palm down her girlfriend's back.

The contrast of their skin tones was something that always fascinated her, and it did so even more now. She had gotten her expected sunburn that week in the Hamptons, and after it had peeled away, it left a slight golden brush to her skin. Callie said it made her glow, but regardless of whether her skin was glowing or not, her girlfriend's – normally that gorgeous caramel – had darkened to almost copper.

And she liked it, a lot. She traced a finger along the tan line that had been left by the thin straps, and sighed. It was definitely going to be an adjustment from seeing Callie every day like this summer to seeing her extremely sporadically. And that was before Callie's classes started.

Her girlfriend's gravelly voice surprised her, "Go back to sleep."

Lowering her head so it was next to her girlfriend's on the pillow, she could see her heavily sleep-hooded eyes barely open, she whispered, "I can't. I've just been awake since you fell asleep and my muscles are all tense and my mind just keeps racing with… with possibilities."

Those dark eyes blinked a few times, fully opening as Callie yawned and stretched her arm out, reaching across Arizona's stomach, just below her boobs, and pulled her into being the small spoon in their position, her voice in the blonde's ear asking, "Possibilities?"

Closing her eyes and running through the scenarios that had been in the back of her mind for weeks, but were now coming to the forefront, she nodded, "Like… when am I going to be in on a surgery? What if I kill someone – no, _when_ will I kill someone? Today is the day that I am going to hold real, actual lives in my hands. These hands," she held them up into the night air and turned them back and forth to see if there was anything different about them than the hundreds – thousands – of times she's looked at them before in her life.

There wasn't. Flexing her fingers, she turned in Callie's grasp, so she could look up at her, "These hands can determine whether or not someone is going to live or die today, Calliope. What if they aren't capable enough?"

One of her girlfriend's hands reached up, sliding up her arm until she could entwine their fingers, then brought the hand back down so it rested against her naked stomach and Arizona could feel Callie's body heat against her skin, as the brunette moved their hands upward. Heat pooled between the blonde's legs, and she squeezed them together, which only made the sensation more intense, as Callie manipulated her hand until it cupped her lusciously full breast, and Arizona's fingers moved to flick, then roll an already hard nipple between her fingers.

The way the Latina's back arched into her, the throaty moan released into the air, made the blonde bite her lip, rolling so she could watch what she was doing to her girlfriend, and see those out of this world boobs. Just as she lifted her other hand to toy with the left out tip, Callie gasped, "Does that seem like your hands aren't capable to you? Because it really feels like they are to – ah – me."

Smiling up at her from under her eyelashes, she brought her mouth down, lightly sucking on Callie's neck before pulling back, "No. It feels like they know what they're doing."

Before she realized what her girlfriend was doing, her hands were lifted from her favorite part of Callie, and she almost groaned in disappointment, save for the thrill that shot through her as she found herself on her back, that long, perfect body pressing completely against hers. As a long leg slid between her own, the moan that ripped from her throat was anything but disappointed, and she could feel the heat of that toned thigh against her through her underwear.

Her hands reached up, coming between them, itching to be back on her girlfriend, but were quickly caught and captured by Callie's, and held over her head. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout, but she couldn't bring herself to actually feel upset because how anyone could feel anything but turned on as all hell when being pinned down under Callie Torres was far beyond her comprehension.

The leg pressed against her core rocked, and she bucked against it, shivering as her girlfriend's lips pressed against her ear, whispering, "I know your hands are extremely capable. But right now is on me, okay?"

Keeping her eyes open, focused on the obsidian ones staring down at her, she nodded. All she wanted right at that moment was to be touched by her girlfriend's very capable hands. Callie's mouth came down, sliding along her jaw, then down her neck, while her leg continued to move against Arizona, making her soak right through her underwear. Her hips struggled to move faster, her body craving a release, but Callie's pace didn't speed up, and her lips were currently working against the slope of Arizona's breast, as she'd pushed up the blonde's tank top.

"Touch me," she ground out through clenched teeth, her hips still seeking a fasted rhythm, but she just felt Callie chuckle against her, while those strong fingers dug into her hips, holding her still as a frustrated groan worked its way from her lips.

Her girlfriend's lips continued to suck on her skin, right below her nipple, briefly lifting to say, "Not yet."

Callie's lips went back to that spot, her teeth digging lightly at her skin while her tongue lapped at it, causing goose bumps to break out all over, her center clenching despite her hips being held into place.

Her eyes rolled back as – finally – one of those hands that was holding her still slid between her legs, palm resting wedged between Callie's leg and her core, still not moving. Then they snapped back open in realization as her girlfriend mouth lifted from where it had been causing all of those sensations on her chest, and she panted out, "Did you just give me a hickey?"

Lifting her head, she was met with Callie's smirk as she answered, "Maybe." That mouth pressed an open kiss against her stomach, against her ribs, tongue peeking out, before that dark head of hair lifted to look at her, "I just wanted to give you a reminder of me while you're going to be hard at work for the next two days. It's out of the way, and only in a place that you and I will see it," she said, lowering her head again, her tongue dipping into Arizona's bellybutton.

Long fingers tucked into the waistband of her underwear, tugging down, as Arizona's head fell back onto the pillow, gasping as Callie blew a stream of warm air across her uncovered clit, and faintly thought that she couldn't care less about the hickey. As her girlfriend's mouth lowered, she made herself open her eyes to see Callie toss her hair over her shoulder, it sprawling across Arizona's leg.

Talk about gloriously sexy contrasts. Her breath shuddered out as she felt Callie's tongue lick her slit from top to bottom, that warmth of release already starting to swirl in her stomach. Reaching her hands down, despite the orders that her hands were to not do anything, they tunneled into that dark hair. But her girlfriend didn't seem to mind, as she groaned against her, the vibrations making her fall back against the pillows once more.

Her hips started moving again, thrusting against Callie's face, as she dug in, the softest lips on the planet wrapping around her clit and sucking, while her tongue moved expertly in circles around her. Hands tightening in raven hair, she jerked against her girlfriend's mouth, managing to gasp, "In-inside."

Words couldn't describe how fucking incredible it felt as two fingers circled her opening, then slipped inside. They started to work in a rhythm that matched the way her tongue moved over her bundle of nerves, and it made her feel so, so close, the feeling of her orgasm just out of reach, even as the beginning of it made her toes clench, "Harder."

When Callie complied, her hand moving rapidly, fingers pounding in and out, her legs drew up, bent at the knees, and she bit into her bottom lip so hard she was this close to drawing blood, but it felt so – "Yes! Calliope! God, yes!"

Her orgasm poured over her in waves, and she shuddered, her thighs clamping around her girlfriend's head, hand gripping her hair. Callie's fingers continued to move inside of her, mouth still sucking, until her release subsided, aftershocks making her shudder as her hands went limp and legs fell back onto the bed.

"Are your muscles still tense?" Callie's voice dimly registered in her ears, as she shuddered once more, feeling those lips – god, that mouth should qualify for some award or something – press a wet kiss between the middle of her breasts, then hover near her own mouth.

Her tongue flicked out of its own accord, tasting herself on Callie's lips, groaning, her eyes already closing, as she managed to breathe out, "Not really, no."

Blue eyes had already closed, her body melting into the strong, tan arms that wrapped around her, smiling faintly as she felt a kiss pressed right behind her ear, "Good. Now sleep. You're going to need it."

Sleep came faster now than it had for the last four hours since she'd been lying down.

July 1 – 6:58 am

Feeling wired, even bouncy, she stood in the intern locker room. Callie's technique of wearing her out enough to fall asleep had worked, for a few hours. But she'd woken up again at five, and had been completely unable to slip back into unconsciousness for an hour before her alarm would go off.

So she'd laid in bed, on her side, eyes tracing Callie's features, while her mind went back to racing through everything that might happen in the next forty-eight hours. She was nervous, but so excited, so _ready_ she just couldn't sleep anymore. After convincing herself to not wake up her girlfriend despite the need to talk to her before she left for her first day, she'd slipped out of bed at five forty five, and into the shower.

When she'd emerged, dressed for the day, hair done, at six fifteen, prepared to give her slumbering beauty a kiss before going out to get some coffee, Callie had already been up and out of bed. Following the precious scent of liquid caffeine to the kitchen, she was faced with a sleepy looking girlfriend who'd made her a plate of French toast and a pot of strong coffee to send her off to her first day of her intern year, because Callie had set her own alarm to wake up at six so she would see Arizona before she left.

Her girlfriend really was amazing. So she'd made it to the hospital by a quarter to seven, been instructed of where to find her locker, inside of which would have her scrubs. Smoothing her hands over herself, she couldn't help but smile. This was the first time she was wearing hospital scrubs as a real doctor, not as a medical student. Then she reached up and pulled her hair into a low ponytail, before reaching into the bag she had in her locker and taking out her stethoscope.

Tracing her thumb over the inscription Callie had had engraved, her smile grew wider. Dr. Arizona Robbins, M.D. She could do this. Closing the locker door behind her, she glanced around the room. There was Ben and Sarah from orientation, they were standing together in one corner of the room. That other boy from their group – Kevin, she remembered – wasn't here. Gone before even making it to the first day.

There was chatter buzzing through the room, but it all came to a quick stop as the door opened and the chief of surgery stepped in, followed by the five residents who they would all be assigned to. Arizona didn't quite remember most of their names, but her smile dimmed instantly on the sight of Dr. Hayden. Somehow, she'd slipped through the cracks in her memory in the last few months.

Refocusing her attention to Chief Tamas, she slipped both of her hands into her pockets, clenching them tightly, as the older woman looked around the group, "I'd like to welcome you all back, and I hope you've had a fulfilling, relaxing few months since we last saw each other. Because the next forty-eight hours will not be very relaxing for you. I'm going to read your names off my list, and when I call your name, you will go with your fellow interns with your resident." Adjusting the papers in her hands, she skimmed down the first page and assigned the first group of five to go with Dr. Chao.

"Next, Dr. Rachel Hayden," she announced, gesturing to the brunette behind her, whose face was set in a scowl, just like Arizona remembered, "Kate Concord, Alex Karev, Steven Morrow, Arizona Robbins, and Ben Spencer."

Of course. Blue eyes made contact with the brown ones hidden behind framed glasses, recognizing the look of disdain, before they broke contact and the brunette turned on her heel, walking out of the room, and the other names that were called scrambled to follow. It's okay, she told herself. She was determined not to let this – having Dr. Hayden as her resident – ruin anything for her.

Walking quickly to keep up, she managed to hear the tail-end of Hayden's sentence, " – understand? You all are now actual doctors, not med students digging through a textbook for answers. Every move you make now matters; it could mean the difference between life and death. You _will_ mess up, as much as you believe and hope that you won't."

She stopped in the middle of the hallway, digging in her pockets and lifting both of her hands out, filled with five pagers. Her eyes skimmed over them, reading the names emblazoned on the back, "Concord," she tossed the first one to the short redhead – the only other woman who'd been called into this group. "Morrow," she read next, handing this one to the hugely muscled, bulky guy standing next to her. "Spencer," she muttered, eyes flickering to the lanky blonde who had been in their orientation group, as he eagerly reached forward to grab it from her. "Karev," she said next, lightly throwing it to the dark haired guy standing next to her. Finally, she grumbled, "And Robbins," before she practically shoved the pager into Arizona's chest.

Grimacing at the rough move, the held the pager tightly in one hand, rubbing her chest with her hand. This would not be a bad experience, she repeated to herself, not because of Rachel Hayden. They made eye contact again, both sets of eyes narrowed, and she found herself having trouble believing her own words.

It was broken as Rachel's pager went off, and she read it out loud, "9-1-1, from the ER. Let's go!"

Now, her excitement was back, beating through her veins. This was it.

July 1 – 11:16 am

She found herself walking between Karev and Ben Spencer, after they'd all just peeled off their latex gloves, spending the last four hours in the emergency room. A high was still soaring through her body; she had helped her first real, live patient. Granted, she'd just gone through three patients, one of whom she'd prescribed medication to for the flu, a second of whom she'd felt lymph nodes for any lumps, as the woman claimed she felt something was wrong with her, even though there was nothing. But for the last half hour, she'd put almost fifty stitches into a man's head.

And even though it wasn't the coolest thing she could be doing, she was still pumped. A few minutes ago, a man had been rushed into the ER, and his bone had been sticking out of his leg. It was… mesmerizing, she thought, and she desperately wished Callie could have been there to see it, because she knew that while she herself found it interesting, her girlfriend would have found it even more so.

But it seemed Dr. Hayden already had chosen her favorites, and Kate and Steven had both been assigned to work with the man. The moody man – Karev – was still complaining about it, about how Morrow's name should be moron. She would admit she laughed, just a bit. Despite his downer attitude, he was already her favorite of her group of interns. Ben Spencer was just too… Ben Spencer. Kate was a know-it-all, who tried to jump down the throat of anyone who had come into the ER, and Steven, well, he just seemed like a butthead.

Now Dr. Hayden led them down the hall, telling them about her current two patients who needed labs ran. When they reached the nurses' station, she reached behind the counter and lifted three charts, "Lyla Walker, needs a full work up," she said, looking between the three of them, "Spencer. Take it." He grabbed the chart, reading the room number, and hurried off.

Karev crossed his arms in front of him, huffing exasperatedly in a manner Arizona found amusing, and Rachel looked at the two of them over her glasses, dismay written all over her features, "I think the two of you are going to be the handfuls. Understand me when I tell you now, I'm not going to be easy on you, and you are both going to have to work hard to earn my respect. Especially with your obvious attitude."

Arizona felt her blood start to boil, just a little bit, but outwardly managed to school her expression into a simple lowering of the eyebrows, while her mind shouted _What attitude?!_ She understood Alex's – he wore it with every expression on his face – but she had been nothing but polite to the other woman today.

Brown eyes glanced back down on at the chart in her hands, "Terry McAllister, needs to be taken for a CT." There was a moment of silence, in which both Arizona and Karev held their breaths to see who was going to get it, before she offered the chart to him, "Karev, you remember where that is?"

He took the chart from her, nodding, "Yeah," and then took off down the hall, leaving the two of them standing, facing each other.

The high she'd been riding on only moments ago somewhat dissipated. She didn't want to brag, and she didn't think she was the be-all, end-all of interns. But when it came to skill level between her and Ben Spencer, and even Steven Morrow, the answer was clear. And compared to Karev, her so called attitude problem was nonexistent. And yet, here she was, the one without a case to work on.

Irritated, she put her hands on her hips, "So… what about me?"

The slow smirk that settled on her face put a bad feeling settled in the pit of Arizona's stomach even before she spoke, "We have a slew of patients that need rectal exams. And you are the lucky intern who is available to perform."

She kept her mouth from falling open, despite the slightly sick feeling that came over her, and she made herself smile, if only to show that Rachel Hayden was not going to win in a battle of wills against her, "Perfect. Experience is experience, right?"

Her smile turned into a genuine one as that scowl she was now fairly familiar with settled over her face, "Sure. Come on, I'll bring you to the exam room."

Walking side by side, she looked down at the chart in her hands, "Out of curiosity, why am I doing rectal exams when you clearly have another patient? Not that I'm giving attitude about it, because I'm very happy about my job, but –"

Rachel cut her off, "He just got surgery done in his chest; he doesn't need anything done right now except to wait to be heal and be released. Nothing you can do for him." Her pager went off, and she cursed looking down at it, "Morrow… I have to go." Giving Arizona a glare, she lifted her eyebrow, "But I will be back to check on you."

She shoved the chart at Arizona and took off down the hall, missing how blue eyes rolled at her back. Even though she knew that the rectal exams were waiting – how tempting – she couldn't resist flipping open the chart and skimming her eyes down the page. Luke Carroll, his name was. She took in the chart, reading as he came in after hallucinating and passing out while he was exercising. Dr. Hayden had diagnosed him with a respiratory problem, that could be commonly fixed with a small procedure, which had already been done. Except, something on his chart stuck out to her.

Arizona looked down the hall in the direction she was supposed to be headed in, then the opposite direction, where this man was. Even though she knew it wouldn't please Rachel, she went in the direction of Luke Carroll.

When she reached his room, she knocked lightly, and heard him invite her in. Fixing on a smile, she opened the door, "Hi, Mr. Carroll."

The man, skinny, looking pale and weak from surgery, gave her a confused look, "Are you one of my doctors?"

Coming in, leaving the door ajar behind her, she stepped forward, "Yes, a new one; I'm Dr. Robbins, one of Dr. Hayden's new interns. It's nice to meet you."

Though he still looked confused, he nodded, "You, too. A nurse just came in here to check on my incision, so –"

Shaking her head, she walked over to his bedside, "I'm not here about your surgery. I just have a few questions for you." Flipping open the chart, she asked, "So, have you experienced any problems going to the bathroom lately?" Shaking her head at herself, she cleared her throat, "That would be, before your surgery, did you experience any issues making bowel movements? Or passing urine?"

His eyebrows drew down, "I don't… is there something else wrong?"

Skimming her eyes over the chart, thinking of the simulations she'd run through in med school and labs, she made sure her tone was cheery, "Well –"

Arizona jumped as Dr. Hayden's voice snapped from behind her, "No, Mr. Carroll, nothing is wrong. This intern is just being _extremely thorough_."

But Arizona could tell from her tone of voice that she meant an extreme pain in the ass. Spinning on her heel, she could see the rage written all over Rachel's face as she marched toward her, and placed her hand firmly on Arizona's back, giving her a push toward the door, "I'll be right back in, Mr. Carroll."

As soon as they were out of the doors, Rachel rounded on her, practically hissing, "What the hell was that? I told you that he didn't need anything from you."

Feeling her own temper rise, she gestured toward the chart, "I know, but look. So he had a respiratory issue, but his labs came back with a widened anion gap and metabolic acidosis. His body doesn't look like it's regulating the acid in his bloodstream. If you don't treat metabolic acidosis, he could go into a coma. Or die."

Eyes behind glasses closed tightly and her jaw clenched, "Are you insinuating that I don't know how to properly do my job, Robbins? That I can't make a proper diagnosis myself?"

Frustrated, Arizona shook her head, "No, I'm not saying that; you were the one who said earlier that we all mess up, and this just doesn't make sense to me –"

"Get to the rectal exams examination room, all right?" Rachel snapped at her, grabbing the chart from Arizona's hands before turning away and walking back into the patient's room, shutting the door with unnecessary force in her face.

July 1 – 8:47 pm

For the first time all day, she sat down in the cafeteria with a free moment to eat. Rectal exams were… disgusting and tedious. She swore she could still smell – nope. Not going there, she thought, picking up an apple as her stomach growled. Right about now she could really go for some of Callie's home cooked food.

She thought of her cell phone, tucked away in her locker. It had been over twelve hours since Callie had sent her off with a slap on her butt, and an encouraging, "Kick some ass, baby!" on her way out the door.

Sighing, she wondered what her girlfriend had been up to all day. Maybe she would have time to go back to the locker room and slip out with her phone for a few minutes – a tray being dropped to the table startled her, and she dropped her apple onto her lap, looking up as Karev sat down across from her, "Hayden has a stick shoved up her ass, doesn't she?"

It was more than any of the grunting she'd heard from him all day, she the articulation of his words surprised her, but she found herself nodding, "Yes. A long one."

He regarded her with a look that suggested he was slightly startled with her agreement, but he barked out a laugh, "Good. I'm glad not everyone in this group is a fucking idiot puppy dog yapping after her." His eyes flickered to the doorway, where Kate just entered, looking smug, "Like some people."

She spotted them and made her way over, not before Ben Spencer slid his tray onto the table as well, staring at Arizona before poking her lightly in the shoulder, "I have a girlfriend. Sarah thinks she's caught you looking at me a few times too many than she's comfortable with, so I promised her I would let you know that I have a girlfriend, okay?"

Nearly choking on the bite she'd just taking, she put her apple down on the table, slapping her chest a few times, coughing, before looking at Ben Spencer like the crazy person she wasn't entirely sure he wasn't, "I have a girlfriend, too."

Kate, Alex, and Ben Spencer all stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Alex was the first one to speak, clapping her on the shoulder, "Sweet."

Ben Spencer's mouth floundered open, "You do?"

Nodding, she pictured Callie in her head, the way she'd looked this morning… tingling at the memory, she let out another sigh, "I do."

Kate pulled up a chair across from her, "So, you're, like, a lesbian?"

"I'm not "like" a lesbian. I am a lesbian," she corrected with a smile on her face, not letting herself roll her eyes like she desperately wanted to.

Ben Spencer looked a little disappointed, "So, you haven't been looking at me?"

Shaking her head, she lifted her sandwich, "Sorry, but no. Sarah can rest easy on that front."

Karev was still snickering at the look on Ben Spencer's face, before he cleared his throat, "So, I heard you already went against Hayden's orders and started causing trouble with a patient."

Kate nodded vigorously, "I heard that, too. What's that about?"

Three pairs of eyes looked at her expectantly, and she shook her head, not wanting to gossip about what she thought about this Luke Carroll case, and especially not wanting anything to get back to Rachel and make her even more bitter, if that was even possible, "Nothing. I have to make a call while I still have some time."

With that, she stood, depositing her food in the garbage, save for the half a sandwich she'd just picked up. Making her way out of the doors, she started back to the locker room, munching as she went, wondering where the night was going to send her. Maybe she'd get some more sutures or something, those weren't terrible.

As she crossed the nurses' station Rachel had pulled the charts from earlier, alarms sounded, calling out code blue. Quickly finishing her food, she followed the nurses who had taken off at a run toward the room she'd been in earlier, arriving in the doorway at the same time as Rachel, who glared at her, before walking briskly into the room toward the bed, where the bustle of people were gathered, commanding, "What is it?"

The nurse farthest away from them looked up, "He's unconscious, with rectal bleeding."

Rachel walked into the thick of things, and when Arizona started forward, she held up her hand, "Stop, I don't need you in here. Go back to whatever you were doing."

Closing her hands tightly into fists, hidden in her lab coat pockets, she forced a nod, "Okay. Fine." Don't give attitude, _do not give attitude_.

July 2 – 2:21 am

Her eyes could barely stay open, and they burned every time she blinked. Though her pager hadn't gone off since midnight, in which time she'd spent a half hour in the ER, meaning she had time to go to an on-call room to sleep, she couldn't.

Word had come through the grapevine hours ago that Luke Carroll's bowel had been semi-necrotic, and Hayden had rushed into surgery with him to remove it. After sniffing around for a while, she'd found out that the new prognosis was that the drugs he'd been on for the treatment of his respiratory issues had backfired in his system, causing his bowel to turn on itself.

It did make medial sense, she knew that. But she also knew that it didn't feel right to her, and it didn't all add up. That was just too much of a coincidence wasn't it? And she could swear that she remembered something like this happening in a case study.

So she was buried in the medical files library, books spread open all around her. Thus far, she hadn't come across anything that was useful, but she wasn't going to give up. This was her first shift as an intern, and she felt like how well she did could make or break the next year for her. Which meant that she couldn't just give up.

Steven and Kate were assisting in the guy with the bone sticking out of his leg's surgery, and Karev and Ben Spencer were both assigned to the cases Hayden had given to them earlier. She was stuck doing the odd-jobs. Sutures, rectal exams, and being kicked out of a patient's room was not the way she wanted her first shift to finish.

So she had a day to prove herself. Yawning, she brought her head down to rest on the table in front of her, closing her eyes for just a minute. Callie had been right when she'd told her almost twenty-four hours ago that she was going to need her sleep. Throughout her life, she'd been someone who was early to bed.

This whole staying up all night after three hours of sleep was really not cutting it for her. Feeling herself start to doze, she lifted her head and brought up her hands to rub over her eyes, trying to rub away the sleepiness.

It worked. Kind of. Skimming through one more file that discussed past and possible causes of necrotic bowel, her eyes started to water with the effort of keeping them open. Okay, maybe just lowering her head and resting for just a little while…

The sound of her pager jerked her out of her doze, and she blearily looked down, her heart pounding from being jarred awake in the tired state she was in. It was coming from the ER, again. Time for more sutures, she thought gingerly, not closing the books because she was going to make herself come back after she was done whatever needed to be done in the emergency room. There was no time for sleep when she possibly had the first life she was responsible for in her grasp.

July 2 – 9:41 am

"Dr. Hayden!" she called out, spotting the dark haired doctor rounding a corner at the end of the hall. Chasing after her, she clutched her cup of coffee – the third one she'd had so far this morning – to her chest to make sure she didn't spill it.

"Dr. Hayden!" she shouted again, before Rachel could step into the elevators that opened in front of her, making it blatantly obvious that she was simply ignoring Arizona's yelling. She made it over to her, beating the elevator from opening by seconds. Drawing in deep breaths, she sucked down some coffee, as Rachel looked at her with a single eyebrow raise.

"Robbins?"

Seeing the chart in her hands, and the Carroll, Luke name printed across the top, she gestured toward it, "It's starting to look like he's overdosed on drugs, isn't it?"

She took a special kind of pleasure in the way her eyes widened, then her suspicious tone, "Have you been digging around in business that isn't yours again?"

Shaking her head, she chugged down the rest of her coffee, "No, I figured out the problem," she said, unable to keep her pride out of her voice.

Rachel just turned and started to walk away, "I don't want to hear it."

Confused, annoyed, she followed her, "What do you mean, you don't want to hear it? Your patient is going to die, how are you not seeing that? These things are not all coincidental, you would be stupid to believe that. And despite our personal issues with one another, we both should know that the other one isn't stupid. Can't you just listen to me and try to do so as a colleague instead of someone you don't like?"

"Fine," Rachel snapped, stopping her stride, and turning to look at her, arms crossed. "What is this great find that you made?"

Her hands were shaking slightly as she opened the file she'd put together, "I think he might have apheochromocytoma. I know it's uncommon, but it makes sense, how everything first started when he was exercising, his adrenaline pumping, along with all of the other compounds in his blood stream. If the tumor is pressing on the adrenal gland in just the right way, you're not going to be able to see it in the initial scans you did, right? So it might have been easy to overlook."

Rachel's arms crossed in front of her, and she took in all of the information, "Might have? Are you asking me or telling me, Robbins?"

Narrowing her eyes, she pushed her file into Rachel so she could look at it herself, "I'm _telling_ you. This is the problem."

She thought she saw a hint of a grin on Hayden's face as she took the file in her hands and turned around to keep walking in the direction she'd been heading in, "We'll see about this."

It was better than an outright rejection.

July 2 – 5:11 pm

Sitting just outside the front doors of the hospital on a cool metal bench as she sky just slightly started to change color in preparation for the sun going down, Callie's voice was excited in her ear, "You are an absolute rock star!"

Grinning from ear to ear, despite her exhaustion, she leaned back, "I can't believe… I just feel so amazing, you know? Like, I just saved that man's _life_." Her diagnosis had been proven correct mere hours after she'd proposed it to Rachel. _Her diagnosis._

"That's because you did save that man's life, because you are amazing," her girlfriend told her, her voice's pride coming through the speaker and making Arizona feel even better.

Taking a moment just to breathe in the feeling, she crossed her arm over her stomach, "So what are you up to tonight? What have you been doing?"

Hearing music in the background, she noted it was muffled, "Addison and Mark came over tonight for some dinner. And by that I mean, they came over for me to make them dinner. We might go out to Joe's later for a few drinks, a game of darts. Last night Addi and I saw a movie; nothing as exciting as your night."

Closing her eyes, she smiled, "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. It's been weird not seeing you or even talking to you for over a day," Callie acknowledged, but before Arizona could think too much about the words, she added, "I mean, I totally understand why you were too busy to talk, believe me, I just mean, it's strange."

"It is," she agreed, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned again. Hearing footsteps approach from the side, she turned her head, seeing Rachel head right toward her, for once not wearing the world's biggest scowl, "I have to go."

The disappointment in Callie's voice was palpable even though she tried to mask it, "Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, then ended the call as Rachel sat down next to her.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked, her voice surprisingly conversational. She didn't seem quite so terrible when she wasn't being so… bitchy.

"Um, my girlfriend," Arizona told her, noting the way that scowl came back onto Rachel's face. There went any thought that her resident might be going easier on her, she thought, then looked closer, seeing how Rachel rubber her eyes under her glasses, then drew her hands down her face.

When the brunette looked at her, she didn't look as pissed off as usual, though there was still the trace of a glower, "I just wanted to tell you… you did good. You did _really_ good."

Even though Rachel clearly didn't want her to smile, she couldn't stop herself, dimples popping at the older woman, "Really?"

She nodded, "Really."

July 3 – 7:33 am

Her feet dragged as she unlocked the front door to her apartment. The remainder of her night had been spent in the ER. A bus crash that had been resulted in two major injuries – neither of which she got assigned to, clearly – had come in, but it also resulted in an abundance of smaller wounds.

She worked basically through the night, with one coffee break, doing stitches and check-ups. The highlight was when she'd had to put a nine-year-old girl's shoulder into place. Not only could she not wait to tell Callie all about how it had felt, but she had been the only one that Rachel had chosen to set it, saying that it was a challenge to work with children and even though she didn't say it out loud, that mean that she thought Arizona had what it took to rise to the challenge.

And she did. She and the little girl had even developed a game that they played for the rest of her checkup, which resulted in minimal tears. Treating patients and the hustle and bustle of the emergency room had kept her wired.

But with every step she took closer to her bedroom, she could feel herself fading. Callie was in her bed, she realized with whatever modicum of excitement she was still able to feel through her exhaustion; she'd looked forward to crawling into bed with her girlfriend after her shift. She dropped her bag to the floor, unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off her body, thinking about all of the stuff she wanted to tell Callie about, but she just didn't have it in her to stay awake. It could wait.

Crawling on top of the sheets, she collapsed onto her stomach, barely managing to drape her arm over Callie's waist, and passed out within seconds.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I'm sorry there isn't more of their summer together, I couldn't resist skipping forward to the first day, I just felt like it needed to happen. So there it is. I apologize if anything is off in medical terms, I only know what I see on tv, so... This is also my longest chapter so far. Unbelievable. Thank you so much for reading!**


	36. Torres Family Time

**So, you're just sitting poolside? Sipping a margarita, wearing your red bikini? **her phone chimed with the new text from her girlfriend, pleasantly surprising her.

A smile appeared on her lips, and she typed back, _Yes, it's so relaxing, with the screams of about fifty kids running around, splashing each other, and me._

**Is it just a pool party or is there a theme? I think I had a Mickey Mouse themed party when I turned five. Tim was Pluto**, the blonde responded, making her laugh just picturing the Robbins siblings, miniaturized, dressed in their party clothes.

Before she could type in a response, a shadow was cast over her as she sat in her lounge chair. Blinking from behind her sunglasses, she looked up at the cause of the shadow, seeing a tall, leanly muscled man looking down at her. His arms were crossed over his chest, "Hey. I've noticed you sitting over here for a while, by yourself. Just wanted to come over and introduce myself. I'm Tyler."

Sliding her glasses down the bridge of her nose, she looked up at him, a memory clicking into place, "You're Tyler Bridgewater."

He sent her a smile that she supposed was supposed to be charming, "Yeah. Have we met?"

Images of his sneering face in a football letterman's jacket clouded her mind, "We went to high school together. You were a year older than me…" she trailed off, her face flushing remembering the way he'd spent many times making fun of her.

Green eyes narrowed in thought, before his mouth dropped open, "Wait, you're Callie Torres? Damn, you got hot!"

Her stomach churned in disgusted annoyance at the way his eyes scraped down her body, "I'm going to go." Pushing herself up, she started to walk in the direction of the house before his hand wrapped around her arm.

"Wait, I'm sorry. That was rude. I meant to say… you look even better now than you did back in high school. So, what are you up to? I work with Felix at the firm, except today, you know, moonlighting as a lifeguard for the party," he said, frowning just a bit as she firmly tugged her arm out of his grasp. Then he hurried to add on, "Just bought a new house. Not dating anyone, living the single life."

Pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head, she curtly answered, "I'm in medical school. In Boston. Not living the single life with my girlfriend."

His eyes widened, "Oh-oh, sure. Right. That's nice. Really nice… is she here?" he asked, looking around.

No wonder high school had been to absolutely miserable, she thought, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, "Nope, she's back in Boston. Working at the hospital."

A slow smile spread across his face, "So, she's a doctor, too?"

Grimacing at the slightly glazed over look in his eyes, she took a step back, "Yeah… shouldn't you get back to lifeguarding the pool of children?"

He looked over his shoulder, reaching a hand up to scratch at the back of his head, "Oh, yeah, yeah. But it was good seeing you."

Just giving an extremely forced smile in response, she turned around, lifting her phone, _Yeah, it's like a Dora explosion. Sorry it took me so long to answer, the "lifeguard" was talking to me_, she added as she walked away to lean back against the side of the house.

**The lifeguard? I thought you were at Aria's house?** Arizona replied, abnormally quickly for what Callie had been getting used to in the last three weeks. Since her girlfriend had started as an intern, her texts would be sporadic while she was on-call. After the first week, she'd been comfortable enough to start carrying around her cell phone in the pocket of her lab coat rather than leave it in her locker, which was a bonus because it guaranteed Callie a response at least within a few hours.

_I am_, she sent back, a bit confused. While she waited for the blonde to answer her, she looked around. The Miami sun beat down, bright and hot, while Felix and Aria's backyard was run amok with children. The kids from Dani's playgroup and all of their siblings, all of Felix and Aria's friend's kids, Felix's coworker's kids, the other kids who lived in the neighborhood… kids everywhere.

It was Dani's fifth birthday and Callie had flown in to celebrate, and had stayed in one of the guest rooms in her sister's house for two days, and was planning on flying back tomorrow night, because Arizona's first full twenty-four hour day off since she started was scheduled to begin the morning after Callie's flight landed.

And she couldn't wait.

After a few minutes, Arizona texted back, explaining, **I thought Dani was having a home birthday party, which is why I'm confused about there being a lifeguard.**

Lifting her phone, she took a picture of the scene before her. The pool was strewn with pool toys and arm floaties and life jackets. Beyond the pool, a colorful bounce-house was blown up, and on the many picnic tables that were set up, there were Dora the Explorer plates and balloons and table cloths. For this neighborhood, for the way Callie and Aria had been brought up, this party was _tame_; for Aria's tenth birthday, their parents had rented out an entire amusement park.

Sending the picture, she added the caption, _This is the type of home birthday party I'm talking about._

**What the heck?! My home birthdays consisted of a homemade cake and some rented movies**, her girlfriend's response came, making her laugh.

_That doesn't sound so bad to me_, she wrote. In this world, even kid's birthday parties were made into a social networking type gathering. Though Felix was pretty good about separating his work life from his home life, she could still spot the men who were here, talking business. They all dressed as if from a uniform: various light colored, collared polo shirts with belted khaki shorts. Deceptively expensive designer loafers were on their feet.

Felix also fell into this style, she noted, spotting him across the lawn, keeping an eye on the children in the bouncy house. But his light blue polo was damp from where her niece had jumped onto him, still dripping wet from the pool.

The women, too, mostly had their own dress code. Sundresses with thousand dollar labels and sandals that cost more than a month's worth of rent for her apartment were worn by most. Actually, she was one of them, she thought, looking down at her own white dress. But she was barefoot. She was positive even the bathing suits that the kids were running around in were worth hundreds of dollars. In fact, she knew that to be the truth.

It was another few minutes before her phone vibrated again, and the words reflected on the screen said, **Can I call you? I just got some news.**

Curious, but already feeling a bad, sinking feeling in her stomach, she beat Arizona to the punch and pressed the call button. The blonde picked up after only one ring, "Hey…" she trailed off, the trepidation in her voice clear in that one syllable.

Cautiously, she responded, "Hey. What's going on?"

Even though she couldn't see Arizona, she knew she was biting her lip, just from the tone of her voice, "My day off, it just got moved. Um, it's starting tonight."

Heaving a sigh, she dropped her head back until it hit the house behind her, "What?"

The blonde cleared her throat, "I'm off tonight at seven, until tomorrow night at seven."

As much as she told herself she shouldn't be annoyed, she couldn't help it, "But my flight isn't even going to land in Boston until eight! Why was it switched?"

There was a few seconds of silence before Arizona exhaled heavily, "Because… Hayden asked if I wanted to observe an appendectomy she's doing on an eight-year-old the day after tomorrow."

As the realization hit her, she closed her eyes, "So, you _chose_ to switch your shift with someone else." Now, irritation bubbled up inside of her and she just couldn't stop it, "I haven't seen you in almost a week, and even then it was only for a few hours."

"This isn't that easy for me, either, Calliope!" Arizona snapped, her frustration coming in clear despite the hundreds of miles between them, "Do you think I _like_ only seeing you like five times in the last three weeks? Half of which I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open for more than like thirty minutes?"

"No!" she all but yelled into the receiver in her own frustration, garnering looks from many of the parents nearby, before walking through the sliding doors into the kitchen, shutting them to gain some privacy from the birthday party outside. Taking a few breaths, she leaned on the counter, rubbing her forehead with the hand not holding the phone, "But maybe part of that could be easily solved if you didn't switch your only day off so far to a time when you knew I was going to be out of the state."

Arizona's voice was lowered to a harsh whisper, making Callie assume she wasn't alone, "Well what do you want me to do when this is my first opportunity to see the inside of an OR, up close? For god's sake, even Ben Spencer was able to sit in on a surgery last week. Ben Spencer beat me into the operating room, do you understand how – how humiliating that is? I'm better than that! And I need to prove it or I'm going to fall behind. What do you want me to do?"

Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to will away the pure dissatisfaction she felt inside her stomach, twisting and eating away at her, "I – I don't know, okay? I want you to get into the OR, Arizona, obviously I do. I just also want to see you."

"I know," her girlfriend replied, her voice softer now, "I want to see you, too. But I couldn't pass that up. I'm sorry."

She shook her head at herself. "Don't apologize. Really, don't. It's… we knew it was going to be tough in the beginning." They went from seeing each other every day to seeing each other in snippets, managing to sneak in times to see each other when it fit into their schedules. It didn't help that Callie had started up her thesis study group last week, and that had run for a good few hours during her girlfriend's off time.

"But I can tell you're mad at me," Arizona said, yawning into the phone, and Callie could hear how exhausted she was. She'd been getting better at being able to stay awake, her sleep schedule adjusting already, as much as it could, to the crazy hours.

"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at… the situation," she tried to clarify, groaning in an attempt to rid her of some of the aforementioned madness, listening to another yawn. "Why don't you get some sleep? We'll talk again tomorrow. We could skype?" she said, trying to put some pep into her voice.

Arizona sounded about as thrilled as she felt, "Yes, we _will_ skype. And I guess I should go to sleep while I have the time. I love you," her voice was growing heavier with sleep, and Callie was now pretty sure, as she heard rustling in the background, that Arizona was already in one of the on-call room beds.

"I love you, too," she told her, feeling most of her irritation fade into disappointment. Disappointment with an edge of annoyance, she acknowledged.

Before the blonde fell completely asleep, before her breath evened into deep, slumbering ones, she sighed into the phone, "I really did want to spend my day off with you."

"I know," she said back before disconnecting the line and putting her phone down roughly on the marble countertop, letting out a much longer moan of frustration into the air.

On one hand, she knew it was wrong of her to be upset with Arizona. And what she had said was mostly the truth – she wasn't actually upset _at_ her girlfriend. It – this whole new schedule they were on – just _sucked_. And it was a huge, hard adjustment to make. Even before the summer, when they'd been seeing each other every day, they'd had spring semester. During which they were in a relationship and spent every other night together and usually saw each other every day.

But even before that, in fall semester, when they were doing their whole sex thing, they still spent hours together every week. They were spending more time together during that "no strings attached" period than they had in the last three weeks! Now that was just not right. So, yeah, it was hard.

Drumming her fingertips against the counter, she pushed herself up so she was no longer leaning against the counter. It wasn't Arizona's fault; this was the life they both wanted. And they both knew that even though "eighty hour work weeks" were required, it was an unspoken truth that the eighty hours spent in the hospital by interns – competitive, kickass interns – actually spent upwards of a hundred hours there per week.

And with the blonde being a competitive, kickass intern, that meant she was spending that much time at the hospital, and for the other sixty hours she wasn't there, she was studying and sleeping, just to be able to keep up. This year was the hardest, most difficult time in her life. Callie knew that, and thinking about it – being mad about it – just made her feel childish.

Picking up her phone again, she was tempted to call her girlfriend again, but thought better of it, instead texting, _I'm really not mad at you; I just feel like I haven't seen you in forever and it sets me on edge. But I love you. I was going to call, but didn't want to wake you up._

Just as she pressed send, the door behind her slid open. Assuming it was Aria – she had told her sister that she would bring out more juice boxes before she'd even started texting Arizona – she rubbed her fingers over her temples, "I know, I'm sorry, I'll bring the juice boxes out now."

Frankly, she was fucking flabbergasted that her sister had managed to procure what seemed like hundreds of Dora the Explorer juice box holders. What even were juice box holders, anyway? She and Aria had grown up extremely privileged and even they didn't have "juice box holders" – you would think a juice box holder would be a hand.

But the voice that responded was far manlier and older to belong to her sister, "I'm not interested in a juice box."

Her hands froze their grip on her phone, and she spun around, coming face to face with her dad while her heart felt like it was falling into her stomach, just thinking about their last interaction, and the way he'd looked as he had walked away. And now, after she'd given him the all or nothing ultimatum and he'd chosen nothing, she didn't know what to say to him.

He'd always seemed so big to her. Larger than life. But right now, as he closed the door behind him, standing in his dark business suit, he seemed so much smaller. And even though they weren't on good terms, she didn't like that. She didn't like seeing him small, but there was no other alternative for her to hold on to.

His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he looked uncomfortable, but in a different way than he had at the beach house. Something was different, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Then he admitted, ever so quietly, "I've been seeing a therapist."

She could have sworn her eyes bugged out of her head at the admission, and her mouth fell open without her meaning to do it, "You what?"

After clearing his throat, he spoke louder, clearer, "I've been seeing a therapist. I, well, I never thought I would be in therapy, but I am."

No kidding. Her father didn't like to admit his weaknesses, at all, and not only was seeing a therapist something he thought meant he was weak, but admitting it out loud to someone else, she knew, he saw as even worse.

Before she could say anything, and unsure of exactly what to say, he continued, "I've been meeting with her for two months now. After the last time I saw you… because I need you in my life, Calliope. You're my daughter, my oldest daughter, and I love you. I've never had any reason not to be proud of you, until last summer –"

Crossing her arms, she felt anger wash over her, "The only thing that has ever made you not proud of me in my entire life is over my love life. I'm not a cheater and I'm not a liar, but the fact that I was in love with a woman, and you know what? That's just _wrong_. That's not –"

This time, he interrupted her, "I know."

All the words that had been burning her throat, spewing out of her mouth, fell back down, "You – you know?"

He nodded, "I was wrong. I've been wrong for over a year. You need to know, when I saw you with another woman… all I could think of was where did I go wrong? What did I do, that was going to end up sending my brilliant, beautiful girl to hell?"

Leaning back against the counter, she shook her head, "You didn't go wrong anywhere. I – when you and mami raised me, you did everything right. You were the one who taught me about love and about religion, and that neither of those things had conditions."

"I know," her dad responded, his voice tight, "I've figured that out, now. As a parent, you raise your kids and you hope one day they will be even better than you are. Be more, be amazing. That's when you know you've been a successful parent. And you – both my girls – have let me know that I'm a successful parent. It wasn't until you were a grown woman that I failed you." His eyes filled with tears – another thing he counted as weakness – and though he didn't let them spill over, they made her own eyes start to fill in response, as he continued, "That's why I started going to therapy, because I've always been the one you could turn to, and I've missed being that person for you. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, and…" she took a second to clear her throat, because it was starting to constrict, "Has therapy helped?"

He nodded, "Yes, I… I'm sorry for the way I treated you. And I wish I could change it, but I can't. All I want now is to be a part of your life again."

"I think that can be arranged," she managed to say, before she fell into him, her arms wrapping around his back and digging in, the way she'd done ever since she was a child. A small part of her – the part of her that still felt betrayed and hurt – wanted to be more resistant. But most of her just felt so overwhelmingly _better_ because he seemed bigger again. Her stubborn, pigheaded, father, who had never been anything but the epitome of machismo strength admitted to him that he was in therapy to work out his issues with her, and she could feel him shake, just a little bit, in a way that told her he was crying.

One of his hands stroked over her hair, "I want you to be happy. And this Arizona, well, Aria says she makes you happy."

They pulled away from each other, enough so she could reach her hands up and wipe at her eyes, coming away wet with tears, "She does." Even if they were in this weird, rough-ish spot for them, "She is really great."

He nodded, "I know. She's a very strong young woman, and it's clear that she cares about you, a great deal. And someone that will stand up to me – in your honor – someone who loves you enough to tell me that I need to bend, is the someone I've wanted you to have support you since the moment I held you, when you were small enough to hold in my hand."

Feeling herself smile, sniffling just a bit, she then took in all of his words, "Wait, what? What do you mean "stand up to you"?"

His eyebrows lowered, expression clearly confused, "At your sister's house, in June, after you and I talked, she saw me outside. And she told me about how I had to bend, for you – a lot more compellingly and eloquently than your sister telling me to pull my head out of my ass – and she was right."

She could just picture Arizona talking to her dad in her mind, and even though she didn't know exactly what she had said to him, she knew it had been perfect. Any lasting irritation she had with her girlfriend at the moment just disappeared, and before she could say anything else, two little fists beat at the door leading to the backyard pounded on the door.

Callie and Carlos both watched in amusement as Dani's little fists reached up, curling around the wooden handle, and yanked hard. With much of her effort, the door opened and she bounded in with a big, toothless grin. Her two front teeth had both fallen out last night, as she'd bitten into an apple, and she sight had been comically disturbing.

"Grandpa! You comed to my party!" she yelled, and made a running jump in his direction, the little red tutu-like skirt that was attached to her bathing suit flowed out around her little hips as Carlos caught her, giving her a big hug despite the fact that she was dripping wet, floaties still blown up around her upper arms.

He hugged her tight, his hand running over her black hair the same way it had just run over her hair, in that loving, protective way, his business suit getting ruined in the process. But he still smiled, saying, "I can't miss my best little girl's fifth birthday!"

That was the dad she knew, she thought, leaning back on her elbows, smiling at them. It was the dad she was pretty sure she might have back. Aria then stepped in through the doorway, and she raised her eyebrows at her daughter, "Is someone ready for cake?"

The little girl slithered out of her grandfather's arms, landing on the floor, "Yes! Choco-late cake! Choco-late cake! Give me some, for goodness sake!" she sang, and skipped back out the door.

They all watched her go for a moment, before Aria turned back and looked at the both of them, "Hey, dad, would you mind bringing those two cases of juice into the backyard? The kids have been asking for more."

Their dad took off his suit jacket, resting it over the back of a chair, before rolling up his sleeves, "Of course."

As he left to deliver the juice boxes, and probably be attacked by children in the process, Aria slid the door closed, excitement written all over her face, "So? That looked civil, and dare I say, nice?"

She nodded, still grinning, "It was. Really nice."

Her phone, still resting on the counter, chimed with a new message, drawing both of their attentions. Aria walked closer as Callie picked up the phone, reading Arizona's answering text, **I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, too, and it's just as hard on me as it is for you. And don't ever worry about waking me up to tell me that you love me. **

Sighing, she ran her thumb over the new contact picture she'd saved of her girlfriend – it had been taken the weekend before her internship started, during the weekend they'd spent at the Cape. Arizona's hair was just a little messy, wavy and tumbled after spending the day on the beach, her smile wide, mouth just a little bit open as she'd been unprepared for Callie to snap the picture.

Aria's voice broke her out of her slight reverie, "So, how's your girl?"

"Busy," she automatically responded, her smile dimming just a little bit.

The younger Torres walked across the kitchen, opening the freezer to pull out the giant ice cream cake that she'd had custom made to resemble Boots from Dora – who was Dani's favorite character. "Tell me more," she encouraged.

They'd already had a chat in which Callie had vented her frustrations about these new time restrictions, on her first night she'd been in town. Dani was actually the first one to question Arizona's absence, surprising Callie by remembering her girlfriend's name from the afternoon they'd spent making cookies back in December. Aria said that the blonde had made a good impression on her daughter, who had sporadically questioned when Auntie Callie would be visiting and bringing her friend Arizona to play.

Shaking her head, she watched her sister find teal, curly birthday candles and place them in the cake, "We were going to spend her first full day off where I also had the full day off together, the day after tomorrow after I got back. But her resident offered her OR time for that day, so she switched shifts and is now off tonight, and back on-call by the time my flight is scheduled."

Aria nodded as she listened, "I see," she muttered, looking through extremely well organized drawers for where there would be a lighter, "And you're mad that she switched her day off to a time when you aren't going to be back," she surmised.

Callie found herself nodding, then stopped, "No, that's not – not really. I understand where she's coming from, you know? We spend so much time hearing about our first year of residency and learning about how hard it can be. I just didn't expect it would be this hard, not only for her but for me, too. It just… sucks," she finished, rolling her eyes at her own eloquence.

Finally finding the lighter, Aria leaned over to light the candles she'd just put into the cake – five for her age, plus the one for good luck, "Would you change it?"

Caught off guard, she lifted an eyebrow at her sister, "Huh?"

As the cake was ready to go, she stood up straight, though still coming up a few inches shorter than Callie, and braced her hands on her hips, "Would you change it? This situation, Arizona, to keep everything going the same as it was before?"

Not having thought of that before, she bit her lip. Would she? But it was hardly a question she considered before she knew the answer, "No. She wouldn't be who she is if we weren't where we are now. I wouldn't change it, or her, though."

Satisfied with the answer, the shorter sister nodded, "Good. That's what you need to remember to keep you going. When Felix was finishing getting his law degree and started working while I was here – with Dani – do you think I didn't have doubts or get mad? Because I did, a lot. And it was hard. But it was on both of us to keep us going."

Sometimes Aria, for all of her dreamy, happily-ever-after ideas and whatnot, she could surprise Callie with what she said. Noting the way her sister bit her lip, she knew there was another comment begging to come out, "So, what exactly are you saying?"

Aria slid the cardboard holding up the cake onto her hands, starting toward the door before throwing over her shoulder, "I'm saying it's not too late to change your flight and get back to Boston tonight."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! A huge thank you to everyone's responses thus far, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading!**


	37. You Take What You Can Get

Hanging her lab coat up in her locker, Arizona sighed unintentionally loud, slowly closing her locker, resting her forehead against it and closing her eyes.

Only to be jarred out of it a moment later, as she was hip checked – good naturedly – to the side. Stumbling, she reached out grabbing Alex's – the perpetrator's – shoulder, making him falter with her, "Hey, watch where you're going!"

Shaking off her grip, he whipped open the door to his own locker, "Watch where I'm going? I ran into you on purpose, Robbins. It was a celebration; enjoy it. Or did we both not just experience a great night in the emergency room?"

While he went about getting dressed, and conceded to his point with a tilting of her head, and a small smile. It was true. This afternoon a man had been rushed in – where they were stuck doing scut, drawing blood, per Hayden's orders – who'd been severely burned after tripping and landing directly on the lit grill in his backyard while barbecuing.

Together, they'd managed to save his life. It was something that, had Hayden been around when the man had been coding, she would have assigned one of the other interns to handle it. But because she had been off-call a few hours before that, Alex and Arizona had worked the case together, managing to impress Dr. Mason, one of the attendings, in the process.

He'd commended Arizona in particular, after she'd been able to implement a technique she'd read about for skin care burns on the fly. He had told her he thought she might be the one to watch. And it was freaking amazingly awesome, and she felt like she was on cloud nine.

Then she thought about how her shift was ending and that she and Callie weren't in the best place, and then she felt like… crap. Adjusting her tote bag on her shoulder, she turned to leave, only to have Alex stop her, "Robbins, what are you up to tonight?"

Thinking of her bed – her empty bed – and of her fridge of Chinese leftovers from the last time she was home – come to think of it, they were probably bad by now, she kept forgetting that she wasn't going to be back home the day after she got takeout – she shook her head, "I have a date with myself in an empty apartment."

He pulled on a shirt, throwing his hospital scrubs in the hamper, smirking, "You don't have a date with your imaginary woman?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You're hilarious, Karev. Really, get a comedy show." All he did in response was chuckle.

Karev was, as he appeared to be, abrasive, but she found that he was the only other intern she could get along with. And they kind of had to get along, because they were so often put together to work. Rachel could claim she wasn't predictable for as long as the cows came home, but whenever they weren't all working of different cases, it would be Kate and Morrow working together, then she and Karev, and Ben Spencer, well, he was their go-between guy.

Slamming his locker door shut, he shrugged, "I'm not going to believe her existence until I see her, all right? And that doesn't mean a picture on your phone," he added when she started to reach into her bag.

Huffing out a breath at him, they started out the door, "Calliope has her own life, and besides, it's not like you and I have hung out enough during our free time from the hospital for you to have met her."

"Calliope," he scoffed, "You expect me to believe you have a hot woman whose name is Calliope. You're really stretching it here, Robbins."

She reached up, punching him in the shoulder, "She is hot. Blindingly, sizzling hot. And I don't see you with a girlfriend; you have no room to talk."

He gave her a sly grin, "I don't do _girlfriends_; I just do women."

Making a face at him as they left through the front doors, she asked, "Okay, oh mighty women-magnet Alex, what are _you_ doing tonight?"

Gesturing in the direction she normally took to get to the subway, he said, "Going to the bar two blocks down. Last night we had off I went there, and let me tell you, babe central. You should come."

Rolling her eyes at him, she dug around in her bag for her phone, "I don't need to find a _babe_."

Waving off her protest, he started leading her in the direction, "Come on, even if you aren't going to be there to pick up women, we can at least have a celebratory shot. We kicked ass tonight, so if you aren't going to celebrate with _Calliope_ then come, celebrate with me."

Balking for a moment, she hit the top of her phone, feeling disappointed when she saw that she hadn't gotten any new texts from her girlfriend since they talked more than five hours ago. She wanted to tell Callie about the man she'd helped, but at the same time, she didn't know if Callie would want to hear about it. Though the Latina had never expressed any obvious outward annoyance at her stories from the hospital, she just felt like she shouldn't talk about her intern work that much when it was causing so much stress between them.

Without waiting for her to do or say anything, he took her by the arm, "All right, let's go. Friends don't let friends mope at home alone when they could be out drinking together."

Giving in, walking with him, she lifted an eyebrow, "Friends, huh?"

A blush creeped up his neck and he shrugged, letting her go, "Don't make a big deal out of it; don't come if you don't want to."

With one last look at her cell, still feeling that twinge of disappointment at the blank screen, she slipped it into the pocket of her denim shorts, and forced a bright smile, "Nope, you said it, can't take it back now." Taking a few steps forward, she looped her arm through his despite his tough guy resistance, and started walking.

She _did_ deserve to celebrate tonight, and yeah, she would have preferred to do so with Callie. But, as a small nugget of guilt in her stomach reminded her, she did this to herself; she chose to switch her day off, so did she really have any place to complain? No.

As the sun overhead started to go down, Alex led her through the doorway of a fairly new bar, and since it was a Saturday night, it was pretty crowded. Not terribly, because it was still early – only seven thirty. She'd never been here, but it didn't look too bad. Similar to Joe's but not as… she couldn't put her finger on what exactly was missing, but it was just a feeling.

He pointed to two empty seats at the bar, and she led them there while he asked, "Haven't you figured out what specialty you want, yet? How could you become a surgical intern without any idea of what you want to do."

The two of them had started this talk earlier, as Alex had been extremely gratified that the big case coming in while they were working was burn guy. He smugly told her that he was interested in plastics, before asking what she was interested in. Kate was into neuro – she'd proclaimed that so many times it was just obnoxious – and Ben Spencer wanted general surgery. Morrow claimed cardio, though Arizona doubted he could handle it.

Hanging her bag on the back of the chair, she shrugged, "I just don't know. We haven't even finished our rotations yet," she said, rolling her eyes. They were all assigned to work in different areas and specialties for a certain amount of time before they were even supposed to think about deciding which specialty they were interested in.

Gesturing to the bar tender for two shots, he rolled his eyes right back, "Yeah, because people really wait until all of the rotations are done before knowing where they want to go. You can't not have any clue," he said, before picking up a newly delivered shot.

"I don't!" she insisted, and it was true. Picking up her own, she downed it, grimacing just a like bit, "I want…" she ran her finger around the rim, thinking of all of the options. There were just so many options, so many surgeries, so many organs and limbs and systems, and she didn't want limits, "I want it all."

After another few rounds, they were standing with their backs against the bar, scanning the crowd, as her mind hazed with a slight buzz, "Who are you after?" when he lifted an eyebrow at her, she scoffed, "I make a great wingman, Karev."

With that smirk, he came back with, "But I don't need the help." He reached behind them, grabbing two shots off the bar, handing her one as he scanned the crowd, then nearly choked on the alcohol, "Look who it is!"

He pointed and she followed the direction in which he aiming, eyes widening as she saw, of all people on her night off, Dr. Rachel Hayden, "Ugh, can we not ever get away?" she rolled her eyes, then tried to slap down his hand as the resident turned her head in their direction.

But then it was too late, and she spotted them, then made her way over. Closing her eyes – it was a bad idea to come out – Arizona took the shot of tequila in her hand, then put the glass back on the table. With the buzz putting her in that light mood, between sobriety and inebriation, the taste of tequila in her mouth, which was really more Callie's drink than her own, she watched as Rachel took the seat next to hers, sliding into it.

Nodding at them, she sipped at her drink, "Karev." Eyes behind those glasses then looked at her, skimming down her body then back up, meeting her eyes very briefly before looking away, she muttered, "Robbins."

Arizona narrowed her eyes in thought, at the way the other woman shook back her hair before lowering her head to drink in an almost dainty way. In this setting, music pounding around them, liquor coursing through her system, she couldn't help but feel like this was all very familiar. As Hayden's hand came up to first adjust her glasses, then tuck her hair behind her ear, it hit her.

* * *

_John's Hopkins University, 18 months ago_

Arizona Robbins desperately needed to get laid. It had been almost two weeks since the last time she'd picked up a woman, and for her, that was quite a while. But she had just returned from winter break at her parents' house, and the semester was going to begin in a week and a half. The stress from impending classes, was strong, and she had also just had to stomach seeing an announcement for the engagement party of Joanne and Amanda.

Throwing back one shot, then another. Then another, "Whew," she shook her head, eyes watering just a bit. Yeah, she needed more than alcohol to take this edge off. She just needed that _release_.

Scanning her eyes over the people in the bar, she pursed her lips in thought. Quite a few of them, she'd already been with before; this was a popular haunt for her to come to seeking women. Tonight, she wanted someone… different.

Hmm. Turning her head to the right, she saw some familiar faces, no one who particularly stood out. To the left, she was afraid it was the same thing, but she paused upon seeing someone who looked fairly out of place. She was very slim, with dark skinny jeans, and a black jacket that was still zipped up as she had a fruity drink in a cup, taking small sips. She was standing in the corner next to the bar, as if she was trying to shrink away and disappear.

She had shiny, light brown hair and long bangs that nearly brushed the top of her glasses. While one hand held her drink, the other reached up to continuously brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, in a nervous motion. She was the one for the night.

Making her way over to her, she approached slowly, mostly because this girl looked like she was about to flee at any moment. Once she made eye contact, she let a slow, dimpled smile slide across her face, one that she knew was charming, "Hey there."

The brunette's hand that was on it's way to tuck more hair behind her ear – hair that was already securely in place there – and the hand that had a steady hold on the glass clenched tightly, "Hey," she responded, so quietly Arizona could hardly hear her over the music.

Coming in closer, she could smell the woman's perfume – a faint, kind of sweet smell – and her body already started to react, just a little bit. Definitely what she needed tonight, "Do you want to dance?"

Her mouth floundered open for a few seconds, but words didn't seem to be coming to her and instead she just nodded. Smirking, she took the glass from her hands and placed it back on the bar, then grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers, and leading her toward the dance floor.

Turning to face her, she came in close enough to feel her body heat, sliding her hands to lean hips, resting just above her ass, before she started to move. Arizona wasn't the world's most stellar dancer – at all – but she knew enough so that she could easily slide her leg in between another woman's, just like – yep.

She could feel her dance partner's heat, even though both of their jeans, and the feeling made her hot. Glancing at the brunette through her eyelashes, she simply raised an eyebrow. Which brought out her nerves again, full blast, and she admitted, "I've never really danced with a woman like this."

Pausing her movements for just a second, Arizona sent her a sly grin, looking around, responding with a staged whisper, "You realize we're in a gay bar, right?"

The woman's eyes glanced around, then landed back on Arizona, slowly moving down to her lips, "I – yes. I know that. I came here, for a reason."

Seeing where her gaze was, she flicked her tongue out, running it over her bottom lip, smiling as the brunette's mouth fell open in a light gasp, then she leaned in. Keeping her eyes open, on the light brown ones behind the glasses, she paused right over her mouth, waiting for the sign that it was okay. As a breath trembled out from between her lips, laced with the quietest, "Yes," she'd ever heard, she dipped in.

Feeling her nerves, she went in soft, pressing her lips to the side of the brunette's, then again to the other side. Before she could head in for the kill, the woman pulled her head slightly back as she blushed, "I, uh, I've never done this… um, before," she said, her voice an embarrassed whisper.

Arizona drew back, her hands coming up, playing with the zipper of the brunette's jacket, surprised, "Ever?"

A hand came up to press up thick glasses that had slid down her nose, and the way she moved her body, Arizona couldn't tell if she was trying to press herself farther against the wall or closer to the blonde, while the blush deepened so much that it was completely visible from her neck up, even with the dimmed lighting. She swallowed a few times, "Okay, well, I – um… I…"

Grinning at her, Arizona dipped her head, nipping at her throat, then pressing her lips against the spot, feeling the pulse under her lips jump at the contact, while the woman continued, "God! I, jeez, I've been on dates before and in one – one!" She squeaked, her hand automatically tunneling into blonde hair as Arizona's lips found a sensitive spot under her ear, "Um, that is – you have really nice lips – one long term relationship. With a man. But nothing, never, ahhhh, with a woman."

Her words stopped Arizona, and she pulled away, seeing the breathless disappointment on the woman's face, "Do you not want to do… this?"

The other woman lifted her hand and ran it through light brown bangs, messing them up as she tried to breathe normally, "No, no, I do. I really do. I just, hmm. I'm Rachel. And I'm not usually this nervous."

Grinning, she took her hand, shaking it lightly, enjoying the goosebumps that erupted on her skin, "I'm Arizona –"

"I know," Rachel quickly interrupted, then closed her eyes tightly, clenching her teeth, "I'm not, you know, weird or anything. I go to Hopkins, too, and we had a class together, last spring? You probably don't remember, and that's okay. I sat in the back and didn't talk too much. You sat in the front and you knew every answer, usually, and…" she trailed off, clearly mortified, her eyes wide.

Arizona found herself ridiculously charmed by her wide-eyed alarmed look and she smiled, leaning in once more, hovering her lips over Rachel's, "So you know all about me, huh?"

She nodded, her soft bangs touching the blonde's forehead as she did so, "I – yes. I know a lot about you. You should know that, before we do anything. Not that I assume we're going to do anything, because you could have anyone in here tonight, but –"

Blue eyes swept down the thin body in front of her, settling on the boobs that, under the jacket, were still fairly pronounced, and the legs that, even though the two of them were the same height, seemed so long. She had absolutely no problem with being the catalyst for a woman discovering her burgeoning sexuality. In fact, in the last year, she had slept with many a newly gay woman, and several "straight" women, as well. And this Rachel apparently knew all about her, so there was no worries that she had an issue with the rules, either.

They made eye contact and both grinned. Just what she needed.

Much later that night, when she'd been planning to leave, Rachel asked her if they could get together the next night, too. And what the hell, for a newborn, she really hadn't been bad at all – fairly timid, that was to be expected, but a fast learner – so Arizona had gone back the next night for more. And it was good, just like most of her other one or two nighters were.

The third night, she found herself back in the bar. Rachel had been nice and had taken the edge off of her desire, but earlier that day, she'd seen Joanne and Amanda come back from their break in Aspen, and it was the last night before the semester started that she really had to drown her sorrows in alcohol and bury herself so deep in a woman she could forget all about her stupid feelings and the stupid people in her life.

She was nearly drunk, but not to that point where she wouldn't remember anything tomorrow. Not that she would mind being that far gone tonight. But more than the alcohol, she wanted the curvy redhead who was currently grinding against her in a way that already had her pulsing. The redhead, whose name she was kind of fuzzy on, had a sultry voice as it asked in her ear, "Want to get out of here?"

Feeling two hands grab her ass and squeeze, she groaned, "God, yes. Your place." She never brought women back to her own if it was an option not to.

Turning around to grab her jacket from where it was resting at the bar, she came face to face with… Rachel? Yes, Rachel. Who was biting her lip, hard, and looking down at her feet. Reaching around her, she grabbed her jacket and gave her a sunny smile, "You came back to the bar! Going to pick up some lucky lady?"

Eyes turned to look up at her, and there was a sheen of tears across them, as Rachel's voice seemed to have disappeared. The sultry redhead wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist, "We going?"

Rachel simply turned and left, and Arizona turned her smile on the other women, "Let's go."

* * *

Her eyes were so wide she was positive they were about to take over her face, and both Karev and Hayden eyed her with confusion. Swallowing, she blindly reached for another shot, throwing it back, before looking at the other woman, "You went to Hopkins. We – you and I, we…"

A tight, humorless smile appeared on Rachel's lips, "Yeah. We did. Twice."

And then the third night, she'd blown her off, because that was what she did. Arizona Robbins, BC – before Callie – and AJ – after Joanne – slept with many girls, many of whom, like Rachel, she wouldn't remember if she saw them again.

Alex, spotting someone across the bar and sensing the sudden awkwardness, tapped his hand on the bar twice by way of taking leave, and Arizona looked down at her feet. She'd never really been confronted with her past history of women, and suddenly, here Rachel was. She wasn't nervous and stumbling anymore, but confident and sharp. But now that she remembered her, she couldn't just pretend she didn't.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her. The bangs were gone, which gave the resident her older look, and fit more with her personality right now. But right now, she wasn't behaving like the woman Arizona had been interacting with for almost a month, as she avoided eye contact with the blonde.

Sliding onto the chair at the bar, she tapped one of her past shot glasses against the counter, "I don't really know what to say… I'm sorry."

Rachel didn't respond for a few moments, tipping her head back and finishing her drink, "For sleeping with me or for not remembering?"

Not expecting the question, she brought her hands down to rest on her own thighs, rubbing slightly, "I suppose both." Feeling guilty – shameful, really – she lifted her hand, rubbing at her temples, "I regret a lot about who I was back at Hopkins, and –"

She found herself cut off by Rachel's hand being put in her face, "Don't. Arizona, I – I really liked you back then. You were the _reason_ I realized I liked women. We had a class together, the spring that you and Joanne broke up, and at that time? I had a boyfriend. Who I'd been with for years. And I broke up with him the following fall semester, because all I thought about was you, and you didn't even know who I was. But I knew who you were; I knew that you were sweet and kind and smart. And I knew that your ex was a bitch who used you, and most of all, I knew about your rules. Everyone knew about them. I knew. I had no right to be so… upset, afterwards."

Oh, god. Arizona could see the look all over Rachel's face as her stomach sank. Rachel hadn't been a newly turned lady lover burned that night, and she wasn't simply upset about it after, as she'd said. Clear as day, the blonde could read heartbreak. After wallowing in it after Joanne for years, she could smell it from a mile away. Oh, god, she thought again.

Not wanting to step on those eggshells – again, she reminded herself with a grimace – she stared at the countertop in front of her, trying to pick her words wisely, because now she remembered everything, and they still had to work together, practically every day, "I… I'm still sorry. I was your first woman," shit, shit, shit, "And I didn't treat you well."

"I knew what I was getting in to. Logically, I knew," she said quietly, bitterly, "I just thought – hoped – that I was more than another one of Arizona Robbins' leftovers. But I wasn't, and I was foolish to believe otherwise. And now? _Now_, you have a – a girlfriend," the word seemed to choke her, throw her for a loop.

Indeed she did, she thought as they fell into a silence, neither sure of where to take the conversation from that point. She thought of who she was, only a year ago, and if there were any other women who she'd made cry or had hurt, even unintentionally, and she felt… _awful_.

She thought she was imagining things when a low voice spoke in her ear, "Surprise."

Eyes widening, she spun so fast on the barstool she nearly fell, only stopped by a pair of strong, steadying caramel hands, "Calliope! You're here."

Her girlfriend's megawatt smile shined bright, and Arizona thought it was possible that it beamed through some of the bad feelings swirling inside of her at the moment, and her hands automatically sought out Callie's, needing to feel that connection to her, as her Latina responded, "I am!"

"I thought you were in Miami…" she trailed off, as they both felt Rachel's intense stare coming from less than a foot away. Feeling awkward, she kicked her foot out lightly at the ground, "Um, Calliope, this is Dr. Hayden. My resident. And Rachel, this is Callie, my girlfriend."

Callie, after hearing many horror stories of how Rachel had been treating Arizona in the last three weeks, managed to keep a smile on her face, albeit a few notches dimmer, "It's nice to meet you."

Rachel's returning smile was hardly more than a grimace, "You, too."

They made eye contact and kept it for long enough to make Arizona feel uncomfortable, especially as Callie's features shifted from a smile to something resembling a stare-down, and she tightened her grip on her girlfriend's hands, bringing those dark brown eyes back to hers, "Dance?"

Surprised by her request because it wasn't often in their relationship that Arizona suggested dancing for the two of them, Callie nodded, throwing Rachel one last glare, before she led her a few feet away. Melting into Callie's arms that wrapped around her waist so naturally, she lifted hers to slide them around her girlfriend's neck, feeling the soft, heated skin that was revealed by her sundress.

Before they could say anything more, Alex passed her, pausing next to them with a lady on his arm, lowering his voice, "Robbins, I thought you had a _girlfriend_."

Her hand automatically shot away from Callie to smack him, "This is my girlfriend, you dope. This is Calliope, and this idiot, is Alex."

Callie lifted an eyebrow at him, though a grin pulled at her lips, "Well, Alex, I've heard a good amount about you. Nice to meet you."

Arizona snickered slightly at his surprised look, "You're real? You exist, you're hot, and your name is Calliope. I was positive Robbins was making you up for at least the last two weeks," he grinned at the pair, before making eye contact with Arizona, and tilting his head to the woman next to him, mouthing, _Like I need a wingman_.

As he departed, the blonde went back to her position, arms around Callie, who lightly laughed, "So, that was Alex."

Sighing, she moved in closer, despite the August heat she wanted to feel her girlfriend's body heat against her, "That was Alex." A huge bonus of Callie's arms being around her hips was that she hardly had to think about coordinating their movements at all, because Callie knew how to move them both. Shaking her hair back, she looked up at her, "So, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Miami until tomorrow."

Wasn't that the cause of their fight early this afternoon? The question was rhetorical, because she knew it was, as Callie looked down at her, "Yes, I was scheduled to be there until tomorrow, but I'm going to have to take time with you where I can get it."

_If you could easily fly home tonight, why did you make it such a big deal?_ Arizona's brain yelled, but she didn't say the words out loud. She didn't want to argue with Callie anymore, not when all she wanted to do was be held close by her for the first time in five days. It was the first time she'd even seen her in five days, and she wasn't going to waste it by getting her temper going. So she bit back her words, and all she did was lean her head down, resting it on Callie's shoulder, smelling that Calliope smell, mixed with the sun and fresh air, simply saying, "Okay."

They moved with the music, and it felt so good to be held by her girlfriend, even better now because she hadn't been expecting her, except… she could _feel_ eyes watching them. Lifting her head, sure enough, Rachel's gaze was on them, caught somewhere between a simple stare or a glare, Arizona couldn't tell which.

Feeling her stomach churn, uncomfortable, she pulled back from Callie's body, already missing the soft curves against her own, answering her girlfriend's questioning look by saying, "Can we leave?"

Callie's arms slid from their secure hold around her waist, and she felt cold without them despite the humid air, "Sure. Your place or mine?"

"Yours," she answered immediately. She'd been in her bed, her apartment, without Callie too much lately, and tonight, she wanted to sleep next to her girlfriend, wrapped in her arms and her sheets, in a room that smelled so much like her delicious scent that it would be all she could breathe in.

Rushing, she almost jogged over to her seat where she'd left her tote bag on the stool next to Rachel, and they made eye contact again, making her feel awkward and ashamed, again, and she just muttered, "Bye," before quickly meeting Callie at the door.

But of course, because Callie was extremely perceptive, especially when it came to her, they had barely gone a few steps from the bar entrance, before her girlfriend's hand reached out, grasping hers, tugging her to slow down, "Hey, where's the hurry?"

Feeling that same mixture of guilt and shame, and just plain… awful, she stopped her pace down the sidewalk completely, dropping Callie's hand before clasping both of hers together and closing her eyes tightly, the words broke from her, "I slept with Rachel. With Dr. Hayden, Rachel."

Then there was silence, deafening silence, and finally she opened her eyes. Callie's face was pale, paler than she'd ever seen it, except maybe save for Valentine's Day, when she was sick, and it frightened her. And under a veil of tears, her eyes were a maelstrom of emotion, and for once, Arizona couldn't really read them, which scared her even more. Her stomach, already all tied up, felt like it was made of lead weight, and she stepped toward her, "Say… something? Anything?"

Those eyes, which had been darting back to the door of the bar they'd just left, then back to her, flicked to her face and held there, "I don't – I can't… I – how could you do this to me? To us? I _can't_ _believe_, I can't," her words started to run together, while those tears started to fall from her eyes, marking wet trails down her cheeks that tore Arizona apart inside.

She shook her head in confusion, "What?" before the realization dawned on her and she jumped forward, "Calliope, no. I didn't mean – we slept together before I even came to Boston, almost two years ago. At Hopkins." Feeling sick at the thought – of cheating on Callie, of thinking that Callie had thought for however briefly that she'd done so – she brought her hands up to cup her girlfriend's face, thumbs swiping under her eyes, collecting the moisture there.

Callie let out a choked breath, exhaling heavily and bringing her arms down around the blonde's waist, pulling her in and holding tight, "Jesus, Arizona, why didn't you start with that?"

Her own arms wrapped around her, holding as tight as possible, breathing her in and burying her face in the dark hair that cascaded over her shoulder, "You're not mad?"

The Latina was silent for a few more moments, her arms finally loosening their grasp as she answered, "I'm not thrilled, knowing that you've slept with Rachel. But you have a past with women – an extensive past – and I suspect the jealousy I'm feeling is probably what you feel knowing that I've slept with Mark. It's not a good feeling, but I'm not mad, no."

Blue eyes narrowed, remembering that her girlfriend had slept with one of her best friends. Somehow, that thought would escape her, and every time it came back to her, it always evoked images of her hitting him in the face with a brick, "It's probably a similar feeling," she agreed.

Tan hands lifted from her body, rubbing under dark eyes, letting out a watery laugh, "That was probably the worst minute of my life," she admitted.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not taking her hands off of Callie because she just didn't want to. Not after not seeing her for days, not after Callie had flown back to surprise her and make their schedules work, and especially not after what Callie had just thought. Even as her hands replaced Callie's, lightly wiping away those tear tracks, she felt anger well up, "I can't believe you would think I cheated on you."

Her girlfriend's mouth fell open, "Think back to the way you phrased your sentence! I told you that I couldn't believe it, but what else was I supposed to think?"

Biting her bottom lip, she sighed in concession, "Okay, that was probably a really terrible way for me to phrase it." But the thought that Callie could even think it was true just… seemed like it was eating at her.

Before her girlfriend could say anything in response, her hands slid to frame Callie's jaw, and she lifted on her tiptoes to capture Callie's mouth with her own. She groaned, feeling her girlfriend's hands clamp onto her waist, thumbs edging under her tank top and stroking her stomach. Their mouths opened at the same time, tongues seeking each other out, stroking, igniting a fire low in her stomach.

God, she wanted Callie so much, she always wanted her so much. Shifting just a bit, so she could take that juicy, full bottom lip between her own, sucking it into her mouth before letting it go with a small _pop_, she brought her mouth back. But didn't attach their lips, breathing into Callie's mouth, "The idea that I could want anyone the way I want you… that I could cheat on you with anyone…"

"I know," the brunette whimpered back, her hands digging into Arizona's hips for just a moment before coming up to slide against the soft, pale skin of the blonde's jaw, her index fingers and thumbs coming to rub circles over her earlobes, making Arizona gasp and shudder, because who the hell knew that was an erogenous zone?

Fingers sliding down, over Callie's bare shoulders, then touching the soft fabric of her white dress that just made her skin look so much darker, that was cut to elegantly shape her cleavage, Arizona moaned, "I want you, so badly."

"You, too," Callie panted back, as Arizona leaned away, somehow just remembering that they were on a public street and the sun was barely setting, casting them in a gorgeous sunset shadow, the light reflecting off of her girlfriend and making her look like something that was heaven sent. "Let's go to my apartment."

But before Callie could start moving them in the direction, she shook her head, her fingers itching to touch her girlfriend, claim her, _now_, "No, too far," she growled, taking Callie's hand in hers and pulling her into the alley on the side of the bar.

The Latina was too shocked to do much of anything, as Arizona pulled her behind a tall outlet of pipes from the building, that barely covered them both from the street only feet away. Her lips seemed to be magnetized to Callie's neck, needing to taste her, nipping lightly into the caramel skin. She could feel how wet she was herself – not having Callie fingers or tongue, god, even her thigh to rub against, in almost a week was too much, too long, especially when there had been tension between them, making the time seem even longer than it was.

Her fingers whispered over strong, tan thighs, the bottom of the dress pooling over her wrists the more she pulled it up, so close to her destination as her girlfriend moaned, "Here? Really?"

Flicking out her tongue, she licked a path to her ear, feeling Callie's chest heave against her own, "Yes, here, now. Speedy quick, and then all night long at your apartment."

Callie's head fell back against the brick of the building, sharp groan released into the air, "You're not –" her gasp pierced the air, cutting herself off, as Arizona's fingers made contact with her center. Swallowing rapidly as the blonde's fingers circled lightly back down her inner thighs, she managed to get out, "You're not going to be too tired?"

It was a valid question, Arizona could acknowledge, even as one of her hands inched back up again, because during a lot of their together time in the last few weeks, she had been too tired to have long, languorous bouts of sweaty sex, "Not tonight," she breathed into Callie's ear, feeling the answering moan rumble between them.

Scraping her teeth along her girlfriend's jaw, one of her fingers lightly hit Callie's lips again, then slid, tracing up and down her slit. Her mouth fell open, eyes fluttering closed, "Calliope, are you not wearing underwear?"

Thighs were already quivering around her hand while she shook her head, "N-no, didn't want panty lines," she explained in broken groans.

Whatever control she'd been holding on to, whatever thoughts she'd managed to keep in mind to keep her sane, just broke, and two fingers plunged up into wet heat, so, so, wet, the incoherent thought broke through her brain, her mouth sliding from where it was against her girlfriend's jaw to cover her mouth.

Her thumb made hasty circles while her fingers continued to thrust in and out as best they could at the angle they were at, continuing an ongoing, sloppy kiss with Callie. She could feel Callie's walls start to clench around her fingers, and she rubbed her fingers against her with every downward pull out of her, wanting desperately to see the her girlfriend come, before a long fingered hand clamped around her wrist, shaking legs doing the same around her hand.

Confused, she pulled back, taking in Callie's swollen, bruised lips. Her voice was nearly frantic, still feeling her warmth around her fingers, "What? What is it?"

Callie's other hand came up as she let go of the blonde's wrist, both trembling as they unbuttoned her jean shorts, unzipping them, slipping into Arizona's wet underwear, "I want to feel you – with me," she panted out, her fingers lightly running over trimmed blonde curls, while Arizona shuddered in response.

"Yes," she moaned, "Hurry." Because even though she hadn't been touched yet, she was so close, and sometimes she felt like she could come just from watching Callie.

Restricted by her shorts, those fingers slid against her, working in quick circles around her clit, legs relaxing slightly, enough for Arizona to continue moving her hand between Callie's legs. They moved in tandem, rhythm building quickly, and the blonde felt herself ready to tip over into a fast, sharp orgasm so quickly…

Moving her hand faster inside of Callie, pumping harder, brown eyes snapped open as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Seeing those eyes blur, then roll back, while her walls rhythmically tightened around her fingers, while Callie's fingers simultaneously jerked against her, she came herself, collapsing onto her girlfriend, pushing them both against the wall of the building.

Feeling any semblance of tension swiftly melt from all of her bones, and only feeling Callie – sometimes she thought this feeling was all she needed, Callie against her, feeling her, smelling her – she exhaled contentedly.

It was minutes later when Callie pulled her hand from her underwear, zipping and buttoning up her shorts, her voice low, "Did we just fuck in an alleyway? When it's not even actually dark out yet?"

She leaned back, gently pulling her hand from inside her girlfriend, her light whimper setting Arizona on fire again, as she brought up her hand, licking it clean. Sighing contentedly, she sent her girlfriend a lazy smile, "What was it you said earlier? We have to take what we can get?"

"And try to make it work," Callie added on this time, smoothing her dress down, before reaching her damp hand out, lacing it with Arizona's still damp hand, as they started walking back to the sidewalk. After a few seconds, dark brown eyes slid sideways to look at her, "We still have to talk about stuff."

About Rachel. And time management. And how to handle everything that was coming at them. "I know," she said, tightening her hand, "Just, not tonight?" Tonight, she just didn't want to think about whatever problems they had. She just wanted to enjoy Callie.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! I always leave hearing what you guys have to say, because even after two months, I still love writing this story and navigating the ups and downs of Callie/Arizona's relationship. Thank you so much for reading!**


	38. Promises Promises

Blue eyes darted back and forth from the rapid beeping of the crashing heart monitor and the open chest that was on the table. Her hands, encased in the latex gloves, fidgeted at her sides, itching to do – something. Anything. But she was only supposed to be observing in this surgery, per Rachel's orders.

But Dr. Hayden's hands were frantically working on the lungs of the five-year-old on the table, and suddenly, her eyes flickered up to Arizona's and her voice, slightly muffled behind her mask, barked out, "Robbins, get in here!"

More than ready, she stepped up to the open area at the table, looking down. Her heart started beating, this crazy pounding that she'd never experienced before, and she could see where the bleeding was coming from – a tear in the left ventricle. The young boy had come in with a myocardial rupture, and Rachel had been prepared to go into this surgery today, but had been unprepared for the unforeseen problems with his right lung, which she was currently working on.

Luckily, Arizona had studied the surgery for countless hours in the last few days, and her hands moved as though they just knew what to do instinctively. Adrenaline rushed through her, whistling through her veins, as the scrub nurse handed her the cyanoacrylate to press over the area, and she barely registered Rachel's voice, low and calm from next to her, telling her, "Careful. Steady."

Then she took the Teflon patch that had been made especially for the boy, Micah Lachlan, she remembered, and brought it down, pressing gently in just the right spots. And just like that, as the world had quickly zeroed in on what was going on right here, as she pulled her hands away slowly, everything came rushing back.

The monitors had gone back to normal – she hadn't realized when Rachel had finished her lung repair – and she could hear the people around her, breathing, muttering softly. Her eyes were wide as she looked down, into the small chest cavity she'd just had her hands inside, then she looked at her blood covered gloves, before her gaze whipped up to look at Rachel, who's eyes were glinting in a way that revealed she was smiling even without Arizona being able to see the majority of her face under her mask.

Her voice low, she said, "Good job, Dr. Robbins. You just saved this boy's life."

She felt her own mouth shift into a smile, this unbelievable feeling, unlike anything she had ever felt before, slid through her, "Thank you."

Rachel leaned over, observing her work, before nodding in approval, "We're done here. Everything looks great."

Prepared to step back, again, still feeling like she was on cloud nine, Rachel, with the suturing needle already in her hand, looked sideways, "Do you want to close?"

Her mouth fell open, and she was glad no one could see her shock due to the surgical mask, "Really?"

In response, Hayden offered her the needle, and as she took it in her hand, the world changed again, centering in for the remainder of the time, as she concentrated on stitching the skin. It wasn't until, well, she wasn't exactly sure when, later that she stood in the scrub room. She was the last one in there, and as she shut off the sink, water dripping from her hands, she couldn't stop the huge smile that spread over her face, and her feet automatically started dancing in a victory dance she didn't even know she possessed.

Until she turned and came face to face with Chief Tamas, and her movement came to a dead halt, feeling herself flush. The older woman with graying hair eyed her in amusement, "That was incredibly impressive. Not only the way you applied the graft to the rupture, but also your sutures were impeccable. They might have been the best from any intern I've ever seen before."

Any animosity she'd been harboring toward Rachel for sticking her with so much basic level suture work in the last month completely disappeared. Because all that practice had led her to this moment, where _the chief of surgery_ was congratulating her, "Thank you, Chief."

She couldn't believe she'd completely forgotten Chief Tamas had been in the gallery today. Then again, she was kind of glad she'd forgotten, just in case the knowledge would have made her nervous and unable to perform as she'd just done.

The woman crossed her arms and stepped forward, to stand next to her, "Word spreads quickly around her about who to keep an eye out for. And I've heard good things about you."

She was positive that the smile that crossed her face was nearly dopey, but it couldn't be helped, "You have?" and she hated the surprise in her voice. Because she'd assumed that Kate would be getting the word around how talented she was, then again, she thought, giddy, Kate hadn't had her hands inside of a five-year-old's chest, and assisted on repairing a myocardial rupture.

"Yes, from both Dr. Hayden and from Dr. Mason. That's why I decided to observe this surgery today; I like to know what's going on in my hospital and to give recognition where recognition is due. So, keep up the good work," she offered her hand, which Arizona readily took, shaking it with vigor before releasing it.

She managed to hold in her excitement until the door closed behind the chief and she exhaled in a squeal, jumping up and down. That just happened. Yes! Adrenaline was still running through her body and she still felt like she was on a high as she left, heading for the locker room.

A week and a half ago – ten days, to be exact – she'd promised Callie a talk. And since then, they hadn't really had a good time. During the two twelve-hour shifts she'd had off in that time, she spent at least six hours of both of them sleeping, and studying for this surgery for the other times. They'd barely managed a quickie in between both of their schedules during the collective twenty-four hours she'd had off.

But she was off at eight tonight, and would be off until tomorrow at noon, and she no longer had the surgery to study for – because she'd kicked it's butt! – so it was time for the talk. They'd made plans for her to meet Callie at Joe's by eight thirty, and they could get a drink before they went back to Callie's place to talk about the issues they were having.

And she really hated having issues with Callie, she thought with a sigh, opening her locker and pulling out her clothes. But at this current moment, after doing an open heart surgery, she couldn't really feel bad about anything. It was all just too good.

Those feelings slightly changed when she was back in her street clothes and she pulled out her cell phone, her stomach dropping when she noticed that the time was almost eleven at night. How could the surgery have taken that long and she just didn't notice? How was that even possible?

Her eyes darted up to the wall clock, thinking maybe her phone was wrong, but her stomach continued to sink even lower, feeling about level with her knees, when she realized that it was indeed almost eleven. And she'd been supposed to meet Callie three hours ago. And she'd never shown. Without calling or texting.

And there was a missed call from her girlfriend, from eight forty-five. And two text messages inquiring her whereabouts and if everything was okay.

Well. Crap.

* * *

"It's a good idea," Callie assured the other woman she was sitting with on her living room couch, "But you just need to try to present it differently. You know? You can't just walk into your thesis adviser and throw down, "Hey this is what I want to do.""

Natalie sighed and toyed with the corner of one of the many papers they had sprawled across the table, "I know, I know." Before she dramatically tossed her head back, resting it on the back of the couch, "Not all of us are as brilliant as you are, Callie!"

Chuckling, she looked at where her own thesis presentation rested, neatly in it's own folder on the corner of the table. They were in the same thesis study group, and out of the six people in their group, Natalie was the only one she'd known prior. And Natalie needed some help properly presenting her ideas, so when she asked Callie for extra help sometimes, she gave it.

Today, Callie had made sure to be out of the library they were meeting in by seven so that she could go back to her apartment and change into white shorts because she knew Arizona enjoyed seeing the contrasting colors. Paired with a dark, short sleeved top that revealed maybe a little too much of her chest, and she'd curled her hair, too.

Because she hadn't seen Arizona in four days, and even then, it had been so brief she barely felt like it was anything. She'd had a thesis meeting then, too, and Arizona had been reading up on a surgery. By the time they were both done hitting the books, they'd fallen asleep. No time for talking or anything else.

But tonight, she had it written in a texting promise from the blonde, that there would be time for both talking and everything else. They were going to have an actual date, for the first time in over a month, even if it was just at Joe's, and they had _a lot_ of stuff to talk about. So they would. First about the problems they'd both been having, just lay everything out on the table, and second to just… talk. They hadn't been able to just talk in too long.

And then they were going to have lots and lots of hot sex. Sex where she was going to show Arizona how much she missed her. Sex where she was going to take Arizona standing up, lying down, from behind, on their knees. Sex that was going to remind Arizona just how much they needed to make them work, because they had the best connection that she was sure two people could have in the entire world.

Even though it had been hard to maintain since their scheduling changes. It was still there. She wanted to remind both herself and her girlfriend of that.

So she'd made sure to leave thesis group early, to look nice for her woman, and to get to Joe's at exactly eight, even though she'd known it would take a little while for Arizona to arrive from the hospital. She'd nursed a glass of red wine while she'd waited, sipping slowly waiting for her girlfriend to arrive. And when it was empty, she'd got a little bad, niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Ignoring the feeling, she got another glass of wine and sat with her phone in front of her, waiting for a word from Arizona, until it was nearly nine o'clock. It wouldn't have taken that long for the blonde to get there from the hospital. At first, she'd been nervous when Arizona wasn't answering her texts, thinking maybe something had happened that was detaining her, the worst scenarios running through her head.

Then she'd called the hospital, and it was confirmed that her girlfriend was assisting in a surgery. Who knew when she would be getting out or leaving the hospital, then? As she'd downed her second glass of wine, drinking the dregs from the bottom of the glass, it had been put down onto the table inadvertently hard.

Inside, the logical part of her mind was telling her not to be angry or upset. But she couldn't help it. She just felt so… frustrated. And annoyed. And – ugh. She'd closed her eyes, rubbing her fingers against them, trying to find any outlet that might make her feel better, and when she'd opened them, there was a pair of blue eyes smiling at her.

Just not the blue eyes she'd wanted to see. Natalie looked at her empty wine glasses, "So, your reason about leaving our thesis discussion early was to drink by yourself at Joe's? I think that's the first sign of a problem."

Sighing loudly, she shook her head, "Nope, I was planning on meeting Arizona here."

The shorter woman at lifted an eyebrow, "Was?"

"Well, do you see her here?" she gestured around them, her voice unintentionally harsh. Trying to swallow the anger welling inside her, because Natalie hadn't done anything wrong or anything to deserve it, she'd bit her lip, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," the other brunette had assured, quickly patting her hand against Callie's arm in comfort, before dropping it back down. She still had on her backpack, the one she'd had at thesis group. Tentatively, she gestured toward the seat across from her, the one that had been intended for Arizona at her small, semi-secluded table, "Do you mind if I sit?"

Brown eyes darted to look down at her phone, which of course had no replies from her girlfriend. Trying not to look as dejected as she felt, she'd shaken her head, "No, go for it."

The two of them had made small talk for a while, as Natalie had ordered a drink and Callie got another glass of wine. They made small talk about how their summers had been, though mostly focusing on Natalie because Callie didn't want to divulge the unsatisfying details of her relationship for the last month, mostly just saying that it had been "good." Which, it had been, before Arizona's residency had started. It had been great.

Then she'd asked for Callie's advice on her thesis presentation to her advisor, which they would both be going through in a little over a week, when classes would start and every fourth year had to have a strong argument for their senior thesis. Seeing that hers was already done – she'd busted her ass to finish it during the past week so that she wouldn't have any distractions during Arizona's time off – and her night was now virtually free of any talking and sex that she'd been planning, she saw no reason to say no.

Which was how they came to be sitting in her apartment at eleven o'clock at night. Her phone had been kept on, full volume, on the table next to her, waiting for something – anything, really – from Arizona, but there was nothing.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything," Natalie said, drawing her attention back to look at the woman sitting at the opposite end of the couch, legs curled under her, "But you don't seem to be very happy tonight. I mean, not that reading over my thesis really calls for you to be having a great time, but… even when you just laughed, your smile didn't really reach your eyes."

She automatically responded, "I'm fine," because even though she wasn't, she just felt… uncomfortable wasn't quite the word she was searching for, but uneasy talking about her relationship with Arizona with Natalie. Not that the opportunity to do so came up often, but after that night months ago at Joe's – the night of she and Arizona's first date – when Natalie had rather drunkenly told her that she expected their relationship to fail and that when it did, she would be there… yeah, Callie definitely wasn't going to talk about her issues with Arizona right now.

Natalie had, not even a month after that altercation at Joe's had happened, sought her out at a coffee cart and apologized to her for what she'd said. No harm had been done, and Callie had forgiven her. Through the sporadic times they'd seen each other last semester and chatted, Natalie had disclosed that she was starting to date a girl who went to Harvard Law, so the Latina had officially seen that as an appropriate time to see the smaller woman as a sort-of friend.

But still. Changing the subject, she asked, "So, how's that girl you're dating? What was her name again?"

Her hand ran through her hair, bringing it up into a ponytail as a slim shoulder shrugged, "Alicia. And it's fine; we're just having a good time. Nothing really serious." She drew in a deep breath, touching her hand to Callie's shoulder, "Listen, I know we're not exactly friends. But you did me a huge favor tonight, and I consider you a friendly acquaintance-y person," she flashed a quick smile before continuing, "So, if you do want to talk about anything, I'm here."

She looked so sincere, Callie thought, and Natalie was a genuinely nice person; she'd always thought that. Fiddling with the heart pendant on her necklace out of habit, she uncrossed her legs, turning where she sat to face the other woman, "It's just… it's been really hard between me and Arizona since she started working at the hospital." Her stomach tightened as her hand clenched around the necklace, "And I – I miss her."

Before the shorter brunette could say anything in response, the apartment door behind them opened, and the woman in question stepped in through the threshold, her voice ringing out, "Calliope, I am so, so, so sorry. You wouldn't believe –" her words came to a sharp end when she shut the door and looked up, seeing the two women who were sitting on the couch.

Sparkling, ocean deep blue eyes narrowed, and both Callie and Natalie could see the instant shift in mood from feet away. The short, slight brunette jumped up from where she sat, quickly shuffling all of the papers she had spread across the coffee table, with Callie's notes on them, putting them into a haphazard pile, out of order, before stuffing them into her bag, "I didn't realize it was so late. Almost midnight. I should, um, go."

Both the Latina and the blonde watched her retreat to the door, Arizona managing to give her a very, very tight, forced smile that read more like _get out_ than _goodbye_ and Callie calling out, "Bye!"

As Natalie turned shutting the door, she gave a small smile, "Thanks for your help, really! Have a good night."

As the door slammed behind her, Arizona turned to look at her, her eyebrows down low in agitation, "Why was Natalie over here past eleven at night?"

Immediately irritated, she gestured toward the table, "I was helping her with her thesis, obviously. Which wouldn't have happened tonight if you had left the hospital and showed up to Joe's when we agreed that we were going to meet there."

Arizona slid off her messenger bag, dropping it onto one of the stools at the breakfast nook, the questioning irritation in her face melting into a look of sheer excitement as she explained, "Callie, the surgery on the little boy, Micah, that I told you about – I didn't just observe. I had my hands in his chest. I felt his heart beat against my fingers, and _I_ repaired the tear in his ventricle."

Callie closed her eyes tightly, trying to put a tap over her infamous tempter, "And I'm proud of you, believe me. I get it, this is what we're both after as doctors, but… we haven't seen each other in four days, barely even texted in that time, and we had plans tonight because you were off-call. We made plans, because we're in a relationship and we've hardly seen each other at all in a month, and you not only canceled them, but you canceled them without so much as a text to let me know you weren't going to be there!"

The frustration was evident in the blonde voice as she shouted back, "I know, all right? I know I didn't text you, but I didn't do it on purpose! It took a lot longer in the OR than I anticipated and I didn't even realize it was so late until I was already on my way out. And all I wanted after that was to come see you and tell you all about it. But… every time something good happens at the hospital, I always feel torn because I feel like I want to be over the moon about it, but then I can't because I know you're not going to be! And I don't like feeling torn, I just want – I just want everything to be good! I just want to be like we were a few months ago, when everything was good between us and we had no issues and I knew that everything that was good for me was good for you, too!"

Pushing herself to stand up, her hands coming to rest on her hips, she shook her head, "Well, everything isn't like it was a few months ago, because things change. And both of our lives are changing, whether or not we want them to, so we either have to find a way to change together or – or…" she trailed off, because she didn't want to think about the alternative.

Arizona looked just as shaken at the prospect of what was unsaid, "Or what, Calliope?" her voice was barely more than a whisper, her face paled.

But the words _break up_ weren't coming out of her throat, "You know what. And there's a part of me, the doctor part, that wants to hear all about the surgery you did, every gory detail. But the other part of me, the girlfriend part, wants to see you for more than an hour a week. I had this whole night planned for us. Do you think I got dressed up and did my hair for Natalie? Because I didn't," the last sentence came out far snappier than she intended it to.

A pale hand came up to rub at the blonde's forehead, eyes closing, "No, I just…" blue eyes snapped open, quickly, "Move in with me!"

Feeling her heartbeat speed up, surprise taking away from some of her anger and agitation, her mouth hung open for a good thirty seconds before she was able to sputter, "Wh-what?"

Even Arizona looked shocked from her own words, but she swallowed hard, and looked like she was really getting behind the idea, "Move in with me. Then we'll be able to be together for whatever time we're both free, because we'll both be there, and we won't have to fight like this over schedules and–"

"No," the word came tumbling out of her mouth, while her stomach felt so tight she was positive it was going to make her sick, and it just got worse as she saw all semblance of emotion leave the blonde's face, leaving a blank look in it's place, and she walked forward so they were standing face to face before she explained, "We aren't just going to move in together to stop fighting. That's not what moving in with each other should be – it should mean something… better… something more than just trying to end an argument."

Eyes that were already rimmed red with tears flickered to hers before looking down at the ground, and her voice was low, as if she was fighting off more tears, "It _is_ more than that. I want to come home to you, when I get off from the hospital, and I want your stuff with my stuff… and…"

Sighing, unable to maintain her anger when Arizona was crying in front of her, she lifted her hands to cut the blonde's face, catching the few tears that had fallen over on her fingertips, "Arizona, I would love to live with you, too. But, not like this. Not when you're barely ever going to be around. Living in your apartment without you there so often would be like… torture. Like a huge tease at the real thing."

The blonde let out a shuddering breath that hit Callie's skin, warming her, while her shoulders drooped, "I just want… I don't want us to fight anymore. At all. I hate feeling like this."

Wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's slim waist and pulling her into her body, she felt Arizona relax against her. Pressing her lips against the golden hair, she whispered, "I didn't picture our talk tonight in a fight. I don't like fighting with you."

The blonde head shook, nuzzling against her neck, "I don't like fighting with you, either. It makes me feel like I'm going to be sick." Her arms came to wrap around Callie's waist, slowly, tightly. "I know I have stuff to work on, too, but," she cut herself off, leaning her head back to connect her eyes with Callie's, they baby blues darkened to nearly indigo, "I know it sounds stupid and jealous, but please don't have Natalie up here late at night. It's the only thing that… I know that you wouldn't do anything with her, and I don't even think she would try anything with you. But just knowing that you're already with her in your thesis group for longer than you're with me every week drives me crazy. And I know she's dating someone else or whatever, but I hate that she looks at you the same way I do," Arizona finished in a rush.

Even though she had so many things to say in response, like the fact that she hated that Arizona spent so much time with Rachel – who Arizona had actually slept with in the past – and that anything happening between she and Natalie was just not going to happen… she kept her mouth shut. Because Rachel was Arizona's boss, and there was no changing that, and what the blonde was asking of her was so simple, "I promise. But I want you to promise something, too, okay? I know it's hard for you, juggling everything. And I don't want to make it harder. Really, I don't. I just want you to promise me that you're going to leave the hospital when you're not on-call."

Arizona bit her lip, and Callie could see that there was something swimming beneath the surface in her eyes, but within seconds, she nodded, "I will. I promise."

Her hands found their way under the loose shirt Arizona was wearing, splaying on her lower back, "I don't want to make you feel torn. And I feel bad when I get mad at whatever is going on between us due to your residency, because I know it's tough. But lately I've been feeling like… like I'm trying so much harder than you are to keep us together." There, the words were out. She'd managed to say them.

And the hurt that flashed across her girlfriend's face was instantaneous and made her regret her honesty. Even as Arizona's body tightened and tried to pull away, she held on, shaking her head at herself, "I shouldn't have said that. It was stupid."

Giving up her battle of trying to pull away, Arizona lifted her arms from where they banded around her and rested them on Callie's chest, her voice so small as she said, "Is that how you really feel? That – that I don't care about us being together or –" the words seemed to baffle her.

Quickly, she shook her head, and called herself a moron, "No." When her girlfriend avoided her gaze, she dipped her head to force eye contact, saying strongly, "Arizona, no. It's not that I don't think you don't care about us, because I know without a doubt that's not true –"

Now, the blonde did manage to break out of her grip, her anger shining through, "Good, because that's _not_ true, at all. I can't believe you think that. I've been spreading myself so thin, to manage being with you and being an intern, and it's so fucking hard and stressful…" she trailed off, dragging her hands through her own hair, tugging as she fought for some semblance of control over her temper.

"I only said that because I feel like I'm the one who's always waiting around. And last week, when I found you at that bar, I went to the hospital to meet up with you and you had already left. I found out from some other intern where you and Alex were; you didn't even text me. I feel like I'm always the one who's texting you or calling you or making plans for your time off," but once the words were out of her mouth, she felt like an idiot. Because it wasn't about keeping score, and she knew that. "I'm sorry."

Arizona's hands fell to her sides, and she shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I _should_ have let you know about my surgery running late, or at least texted you right when I got out and realized how late it was."

"Neither of us is perfect," she commented, quietly, "We just didn't really have to face it until all this added life stress."

"Life stress can suck it," Arizona said, her bottom lip sticking out in defiance.

Despite feeling like she wanted to cry and yell still, she couldn't help but laugh. Bringing up her hand, she tucked the soft blonde hair that had become disorderly as she'd drawn her hands through it moment ago, behind her girlfriend's ear.

Arizona sighed, turning her face into the touch, mumbling, "Well, you might not be perfect, but you feel perfect."

Running her thumb over the pale cheek that was slightly pinker than usual with the high emotion running through them, she loved the softness of Arizona's skin under her hands, "You, too."

Giving in, Arizona practically fell forward, landing against Callie, and repeating her earlier motion of putting her arms around the Latina's waist, "Can we just order a pizza and relax now? Even if you are still annoyed at me, I just want to spend time with you before I have to go back to the hospital in… almost eight hours."

Pressing her lips against her forehead, she scratched her fingers down her girlfriend's sides, admitting, "I'm not really annoyed anymore; I'm glad we laid everything out, though. We'll start with little things – I'll keep my promise about Natalie, and you keep yours."

The head resting against her nodded softly, "Okay. Sounds like a deal." She pulled back, biting her lip, slightly, "Do you want to order the pizza while I change? Meet you in your bedroom?"

Before Arizona could take two steps, she snagged her hand, "Uh uh. I'll order the pizza, but while I pick up and organize my thesis papers, you are going to tell me all about the surgery that you rocked on that boy."

The way the blonde's face lit up was beyond priceless, "Yeah?"

Nodding, she led them over to the table with the papers spread out, "Yeah."

Arizona perched herself on the edge of the couch, "It was incredible. You know what it made me start thinking about? What if maybe I went into peds? Wouldn't that be crazy?"

Narrowing her eyes in thought, she imagined scenarios, "Actually, I don't think it would be that crazy. It might be a good fit for you."

Arizona shrugged, grinning, the way her eyes were glazed in just this perfect way, Callie could tell she was just thinking about the surgery from earlier, "Maybe."

As she started getting going, Callie found the story engaging and fascinating, as both the doctor part of her and the girlfriend part of her. She wanted to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I love reading all of your thoughts and opinions about what's going on with the girls, thank you so much. And, as always, thank you for reading.**


	39. No One Else

Keeping a close eye on the clock on the wall, Arizona snapped off her gloves that she had been wearing to tend to a man's sutures in the emergency room with a bright, dimpled smile, "All right, Mr. Rojas, a nurse will be over in just a few moments to bring you your discharge papers, and you should be all set."

The older man sighed, his eyes glued to the gash on his leg that was now sewn up and covered with a bandage, "Thank you Dr. Robbins."

Tapping her fingers lightly against the prescription pad in the pocket of her lab coat, she asked, "Are you positive you don't want anything for the pain?" She'd already asked him three times, but every time he staunchly refused.

Which he did again, and just laid his head back against the pillow, "No. I'll be just fine."

Flicking her eyes to the clock, that _just_ struck six, she bounced from her heels to her tiptoes, then back, "Okay. Take it easy, now, like I said earlier, no straining your leg, light physical activity for the next few days."

He nodded, and she wished him a goodnight, her mind already on her projected evening, as she reached out, swinging the curtain surrounding the bed back. She had the next twenty-four hours off, her second time with a full day in two months, and this time she planned on taking full advantage of it.

The last two weeks had been still strained between them, since that night. That fight. That god-awful fight. But they'd been working on it, on all of the things they'd both brought up even while in anger… and it was still hard. Especially now, because Callie's classes had started a little over a week ago and now their schedules were out of both of their hands. But they'd made promises – Callie rarely was with Natalie outside of study group, and Arizona hadn't stayed at the hospital during her off time in two weeks.

Which was also hard, because she could see on the board when she came back in for her following shift all of the patients and surgeries that would come in during her off time. Things that she had missed out on. But sacrifices had to be made, right?

And she would think of the words her girlfriend had thrown out to her, about how Callie felt like she was putting more into them. Which still made her angry, because if anyone in this world should know how she felt, how strongly she felt, it should be Callie. But a little part of her could see where her girlfriend was coming from.

Which was why Arizona had made the plans for tonight. Their sex-iversary. On her last day off, she'd gone about setting everything up, as cheesy romantic as she could possibly get; she bought Callie's favorite wine, made a playlist of all slow, romantic songs that made her think of her girlfriend, and then there was the lingerie. She had purchased some really, really fabulous lingerie for the occasion.

Callie was planning on coming to her apartment at seven, which gave her an hour to get home, shower the hospital smell from her body, set up her apartment, and change. It would be cutting it a little close, but if she hurried –

As she was about to exit the doors of the ER, Chief Tamas hurried past her, her stride breaking it's quick pace to give her a quick appraisal, "Dr. Robbins, you're on this incoming case with me. A ten year old girl, being transferred in. She's getting her adenoids removed. Let's hustle!"

Her foot automatically stepped out to follow the chief before she stopped herself. Callie. Sex-iversary. Lingerie. Unsure of which direction to go in, she simply stood in the same spot. How did she let down her girlfriend _again_ when she was expecting her, but how could she not follow the _chief of surgery herself _telling her she wanted her to assist in a surgery?

Tamas turned around once more, lines of irritation clearly forming around her mouth, on her forehead, "Are you coming or not, Robbins?"

"I – um…" the words stuck in her throat, until she lightly shook her head to clear it, "My shift just ended, so I was on my way out."

The older woman tilted her head in a way that shouldn't be intimidating by itself, but was, "If you don't want to assist me I can always find another intern –"

"No! No, I can do it," the words tumbled out of her mouth, as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed, images of the way she'd imagined her night – the amazing night she'd had planned out in her head – drifting away.

As the chief nodded at her, somewhat impatiently, she turned and continued on her walk out the door. Slowly, feeling as if simply moving her hands was like moving them through water, she reached into her pocket for her phone, drawing it out and staring at Callie' contact information as seconds ticked by.

Biting her lip, hard, she nearly stomped her foot in frustration. Why couldn't she be in two damn places at once? She didn't want to cancel on her girlfriend. She didn't want to not see her tonight and be blowing her off. She wanted to give Callie a sex-iversary that blew her mind and put all of the crappy stress they'd been dealing with behind them. But she also wanted to assist in an adenoid removal surgery, and there was no turning that down.

Keeping an eye on the doors, to make sure that the ambulance hadn't arrived yet, she quickly pressed the call button. Even if she was going to cancel their plans, or postpone them depending on Callie's mood, she couldn't do it through text. She wanted to hear Callie's voice, and for her girlfriend to hear hers and know that she didn't want this, all the way. She needed Callie to know that she was sorry.

Except Callie's phone went straight to voicemail, just as the flashing ambulance lights came into her view from the trauma bay. Closing her eyes briefly, she took in a deep breath, "Calliope… I'm sorry. More than anything, I didn't want to cancel on you tonight. I – I had our whole sex-iversary night planned out for us, and I know we had plans at seven, but –"

The trauma doors opened and the chief made eye contact with her, calling out, "Robbins, let's go!" as she walked by her hand clasping the hospital bed.

Unable to stop a groan, she returned to her message, "But the chief asked me to assist her in a surgery. It just happened, a minute ago, and I can't give that up. I just can't pass that opportunity. Please, please try to understand. I love you. So much. And I'll let you know as soon as I'm done, I swear. Okay? I love you," she repeated before ending the message and banging the phone against her forehead a few times.

Sighing, she brought her phone back to her pocket, then ran in the direction that Tamas had gone in with the little girl. Why the hell couldn't she be in two places at once?

* * *

Finishing the last careful curl of her hair, Callie put down the curling iron, switching it off, and leaning back, lifting her hand to tussle the curls gently. Then she stepped back completely, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked damn good tonight; she wanted to blow her girlfriend's mind, and remind her that she loved her so fucking much, despite how terrible she felt about their last fight.

Even though it was two weeks ago, it still dug at her, what she'd said. Leaving the bathroom, she went back into the bedroom, picking up her phone. And her stomach sank just seeing that she had a missed call from Arizona, and a voicemail. When the voicemail confirmed for her what she'd been thinking, she didn't know how or why, but she found herself on a mission.

Which was how she wound up in the gallery, looking down into the operating room, her arms wrapped around herself, looking down at Arizona. Her blue eyes had this sparkle in them as she looked down at the little girl on the table. A similar sparkle to what her eyes looked like when they looked at her, but slightly different. Just as intense, but slightly different.

Her own eyes zeroed in on the way her girlfriend's gloved ones held a scalpel as she assisted Dr. Tamas. She was an intern, only a couple of months in, but her hands were so steady. So sure and capable, and Callie loved them. Any irritation or simply _upset_ she'd had – not really at Arizona but more just because of what was going on with them – just… drifted away as she illegally watched the surgery.

Technically, she'd observed surgeries before from the gallery, so it really wasn't illegal, she assured herself. Medical students during clinicals did things like observe, so it wasn't that bad of her to be here, right?

Her attention went back to what was happening down below, and her hand lightly pressed against the glass as she watched her girlfriend work, her stomach feeling that warm feeling that she so often had when she thought about or simply looked at Arizona. It was the best kind of feeling. Familiar and safe, and she reveled in it.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice asked from the doorway and she jumped. Spinning around, she recognized Dr. Rachel Hayden, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at her. "How did you get in here?"

Callie looked down at herself, dressed in her school-issued scrubs. Harvard Med students were all over this place, and most people didn't ask questions. It had been remarkably easy for her to get in here, actually. Instead of answering, she looked away from her, down at her girlfriend, "I just came to see her at work. It sounds silly."

It sounded silly maybe, but seeing the blonde down there just made things better for her, somehow. She could see, firsthand, how it was for her girlfriend when she couldn't come home. And she knew Arizona would be there with her, if she could. But it just wasn't that easy all the time, and she shouldn't hold it against her. Seeing her down there, her gloved hands moving, her hair in the scrub cap… it made it easier.

This was Arizona's reality, the side that she didn't get to see or be a part of for now. And she could feel it in herself, being this close to a surgery, even made her tingle with excitement. She couldn't even imagine what it was like for her girlfriend, who experienced this feeling – only more – firsthand almost daily.

Rachel came up next to her, her head stopping below Callie's nose, her build so slight, and yet her personality made her seem bigger, "She is pretty amazing."

Now turning her head, she narrowed her eyes at the woman. She didn't trust her. Arizona had told her the whole story, and she'd drawn her own conclusions about how much Rachel had cared for Arizona and – her believe – still cared about her. She watched the other woman's eyes behind the glasses drink in the blonde below, and she hated it. And she knew without a doubt that Rachel had come in here to see Arizona work.

Then there was that frustration at the fact that this wasn't a Natalie situation where she could ask Arizona to not be with Rachel, because they had to be around each other for over eighty hours a week.

The other woman spoke again, "I heard it's been tough for you two."

Glancing at her, she couldn't help but notice she slight satisfaction written on her face, "Well, Arizona's busy here, and it's… an adjustment."

"A hard one," Rachel nodded, crossing her arms, looking at Callie, "I honestly do not know one couple from my intern year who is still together. Dating an intern is hard, it's like being in a long-distance relationship."

"Believe me, I know," she muttered, looking back down at Arizona.

Hayden clucked her tongue, "She has a rough time. Trying to juggle you and being here, keeping up with the others. It's obvious how much she's struggling with the balance."

Looking at the short woman out of the corner of her eyes, she didn't like hearing this. She knew it was hard for Arizona, balancing everything. And she knew she hadn't been making it easy. But she would, she thought. She would make it easier, somehow.

Rachel didn't wait for a response before she continued, "Sometimes I wonder whether or not she's going to be able to make it through the year with how much trouble she has, always leaving the hospital right away to go home…"

Looking at her sharply, she felt insulted on Arizona's behalf, "She'll make it," she assured curtly, looking back down. Look at her, she thought, proudly. How could she not?

"I hope so. She has a lot of promise; skill. But it's not all skill. It's about dedication, and being able to pull the long hours, the extra time here even when you're not on. Which is where I'm – and others – are already starting to see her fall behind," Rachel said, with a light sigh, "It's a shame. She could be one of the best, but something has got to change."

Callie stared at her, all semblance of that nice warm feeling gone now, nerves edging in. Nerves for and about Arizona's career… it was only two months in and it was already on the line? But she didn't have time to say anything, as Rachel's pager sounded. They both looked down at it, and the smaller woman read it, then turned on her heel, "Have to go."

She stood at the door, propping it open with her foot, as Callie stood in the same place. Rachel cleared her throat, getting Callie's attention, "I have to go, and so do you. Come on."

Throwing one last look down at her girlfriend, she trudged forward, hating the feeling in the pit of her stomach and the thoughts whispering in the back of her mind.

* * *

The surgery had gone well, and it was over quickly. Well, hours later than she'd planned to be leaving the hospital, but still relatively quickly. And she didn't take time to hang around afterwards, as she sometimes did after surgeries to rub them into Alex's face, as he did she same to her. No.

She practically flew to the locker room, seeing that it was nearly three hours after she'd originally gotten off. Her scrub top was already being lifted from her body before the door behind her had closed, and she reached for her phone, just standing in her bra in front of her open locker, texting Callie as quickly as she could, **I just got out of surgery and I'm going over to my apartment right now. If you want to meet me there. But I understand if you're mad.**

The receiving text she got wasn't what she was expecting at all, _I'm already at your apartment. And I'm not mad_.

Feeling like she should be happy that Callie wasn't mad, said feelings just weren't happening. Because she just felt… bad. Her stomach clench so tightly she felt sick, and her eyes were glued to her phone, **Are you sure?**

_I'm positive_, was Callie's affirming text, which should have assuaged all of the bad feelings swirling around inside of her, but didn't. Her girlfriend wasn't really in the habit of telling her she wasn't mad when she was. Especially in the last few weeks, when they'd both been trying to be really open with what was going on with what they were feeling.

Without stopping to so much as make small talk with anyone she saw on her way out of the hospital, she beelined for the exit. Her journey home was quick, quicker than usual, because she wanted to see Callie, and make sure that she could apologize in person for breaking the promise she'd made to her a couple of weeks ago, and just… be able to be with her. With all of the stress that had been between then recently, it was all she wanted to just _be_ with Callie in their off time. Even if tonight couldn't go according to what she'd had planned, at least Callie was going to be there.

Opening her door slowly, she immediately spotted her girlfriend, standing in the small hallway a few feet from the door. Giving her a small smile, confused as to why she was standing, waiting for her, instead of watching television or lying in bed or doing _something_, the first words that were out of her mouth were an apology, "Calliope, I didn't mean to… I'm so sorry. It's just that Chief Tamas asked me, specifically, to go into the OR with her. Not even a resident or an attending, but _me_," she finished, feeling conflicting giddiness at the way being chosen by Chief Tamas and assisting in a surgery, and guilt at having stood up Callie. Again.

But Callie simply shook her head, "Don't… don't apologize," she said, her voice tight, the sound of it only rivaling the way she'd heard it when she'd been talking to her father months ago in the Hamptons. The sound of emotions being held back, and of her throat sounding like it was raw just trying to hold in her tears.

And she really hated the sound of it, simply on principle. Because she hated that Callie was hurting, and she hated more than anything that she was the cause of that, "I can't help it. I feel… I don't like making you upset, and I can't not feel sorry when I know that I hurt you, even if I didn't mean it," she struggled to articulate the words, especially when Callie dipped her head, avoiding eye contact with her. Which her girlfriend never did.

When those dark brown eyes _did_ look at her, they made her heart stop, as Callie shook her head, "I don't want you to feel bad for something that you should be proud of. This is everything to you right now, and it should be. Your intern year _should _be everything. And it shouldn't be about you worrying about having to make time for me. But at the same time, I can't spend every time we have plans looking forward to them, and getting ready for them, only to be – be sitting by myself, waiting for you."

For the first time, blue eyes flickered past her girlfriend to spot a packed bag behind her, leaning against the wall, and then she just felt like freezing cold weights plunked down into her stomach, and she didn't know if she'd ever felt as instantly nauseous as she did at that moment. Not even when she'd walked in on Joanne cheating on her, either time.

Her tongue felt thick, like she could barely push out words anymore, and she shook her head, snapping her eyes back to Callie's face and being able to just _see_ that what she thought was correct, "No. No, no, no, no. Calliope –" it was all she could manage to get out before her throat felt like it was closing, and tears were already clouding her vision, and when they fell down her face, she didn't bother to wipe them away because she wasn't even sure she could move her arms that that point.

"What if taking a break is the best thing right now?" Callie's voice cracked as she proposed the words, and Arizona's eyes, glued to her face, watched as her girlfriend crumbled, her shoulders hunching, hands coming up furiously to wipe under her eyes, "I have so much to think about with this being my last year, and sometimes I can barely think about my work, when all I think about is missing you."

Shaking her head, her mouth fell open, searching for any words to say that could make this better. But she had no promises to make, "I – I this is my intern year. When things come up, like those surgeries, I can't just say no. I need them, I… need them," she finished quietly, unable to find anything else to say while her heart pounded so hard she felt light headed. They sounded like she was pleading, and she was. She was begging – wanting, no, needing – Callie to understand where she was coming from. Needing her to take the bag that was sitting there, probably full of her clothes and all of the other items she'd left here in the last few months, and dump it out. Needing her to say that this was just some weird, incredibly cruel, sick joke.

But she didn't. Instead, she closed the gap between them, her warm hands coming to cup Arizona's cheeks, and Arizona blindly stumbled forward into the touch, seeking more, as Callie stroked her thumbs slowly over her skin in circles, as if trying to commit the feeling to memory, "I wouldn't ask you to give that up. You _can't_ give up something like your residency, and you can't drop the ball on it. I would never ask you to give that up. Which is why I have to give you up, right now. Because that's your life right now, and that's what it should be."

Fiercely shaking her head, pulling it out of her girlfriend's hands, she hastily brought her hands up, rubbing them over her eyes, rubbing away the tears that wouldn't stop coming, as she still felt like she was going to be sick, "No, you don't have to give me up. Please. We'll be better – I'll be better," she promised, her voice coming in scratchy and low.

Callie's eyes bore into her, the red-rimmed brown shining down at her, as tan hands came back to the blonde's body again, this time resting gently on her hips, hands flexing gently, "It's not about being better... _You're already better_ – you're the best. And you want to be the best girlfriend for me and the best intern in the program, but you can't be both, because it's just too much, and I can't do that to you," she cut herself off with a choking sound, pausing for several seconds before being able to continue, "You've been working toward this for your entire life; it deserves everything you have to give it without feeling like you're letting me down in the process."

Feeling long fingers against her hips, even though her pants, broke her, and she closed all of the space between them, her arms shaking, only steadying when they wrapped tightly around that curvy waist, her fingertips digging in. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt this much pain in her chest, and she wondered briefly if she was going to have a heart attack. She held on as tight as she could, with all of her strength, because she was sure that if she just held on long enough, tight enough, she wouldn't have to let go, "When I said I loved you, you told me you weren't going anywhere. I told you that you couldn't leave me. And you are."

She could feel that long body quake against her, "I know," Callie said, her voice breaking, "But it's what you need me to do, even if you can't admit it right now."

And now she loosened her grip, pulling back to look up into her girlfriend's face, "No." The strength of her voice surprised them both, and she dropped her arms from around Callie's waist, "I will _never_ need you to leave me. I need you to stay. I need _you_."

She watched, her stomach doing more of the cartwheels that she was positive was going to make her vomit at any second, as Callie's eyes filled with fresh tears, and her mouth fell open, "But –"

Stepping back, losing contact altogether, she put her hands on her hips, "The question here, right now, is do you need me?"

"Yes! God, fucking, yes, Arizona. I need you so much that I feel like every word I'm saying tonight is killing me. And I love you so much that I'm trying to do what's best for you here, don't you see that?" now it was her voice that begged, and her eyes stayed on Arizona, pleading with her words for her to see. To understand.

But all Arizona could see in those brown eyes was that love. That shiny-eyed, loving look, that she'd counted on being reflected at her for months, and it was still there. And then, she didn't feel sick anymore, and her tears stopped, as an odd calm settled over her, "I can see that you love me. I can see it whenever you look at me, and I feel it whenever you touch me, but you have the completely wrong idea about where to go from here, with that love."

Callie's eyebrows drew down in confusion, "I – what?"

In response, Arizona simply moved around her, going to pick up that bag and she simply dumped it upside down, "You think you know what's best for me? Well, Calliope, what's best is if we don't take any sort of break. That's not going to make either one of us feel better, at all. And if you think it will, then, sorry, but that's too bad," she shook the bag, watching as the remainder of the clothes fell to the floor, and then she tossed the bag over her shoulder. Satisfied, she rested her hands on her hips, "And frankly, you thinking that you could just tell me that we were breaking up was really stupid of you."

Enjoying the open mouthed look Callie was giving her, she stepped over the pile of belongings and reached for Callie's hands again, a thrill shooting through her when her girlfriend's immediately flipped so they could lock hands, despite her clear, obvious emotional overload. Walking backwards, Arizona led them toward her bedroom, as Callie barely managed to stumble over her words, "I'm not stupid."

"Nope," she agreed with a smile, "But you were being stupid. Because I don't give up in relationships. I am _in_ this, for good. And if I didn't give up on Joanne, for years even though she treated me like crap, what in the world would possess you to think that I was just going to give up on us so easily? So what, it's not easy. There are going to be nights where I'm at the hospital for a long time, and yeah, that's going to bother you," she said, turning them, then pushing Callie back onto the mattress before continuing, "And there are going to be my off days where you're going to be busy with classes or your thesis, and that might bother me. But your eyes twinkle at me, and mine twinkle at you, and even if you had walked out of here tonight, we still wouldn't have been over."

"We wouldn't," Callie parroted, though it wasn't questioning. It was simply a confirmation.

Pulling her top over her head, she put her hands back on her hips, "Now, we're going to celebrate our sex-iversary properly. To celebrate the fact that we aren't broken up and that we won't _be_ breaking up."

Stripping herself quickly, she leaned down, unbuttoning Callie's jeans, starting to tug them down her waist, feeling herself become even more aroused just looking at the delicious, glowing skin revealed with every inch she pulled down. Clearing her incredibly dry throat, she whispered, "You should probably take off your shirt, unless you want me to rip it off."

Trembling caramel hands went up, unbuttoning the shirt, while she laid completely on her back and arched her hips to held Arizona pull off her pants. As soon as they were gone, she reached out and took Callie's shirt from her hands, throwing it over her shoulder, loving the feeling of Callie's eyes raking down her body. Sometimes she felt like Callie was touching her with just a look.

Climbing onto the bed on her knees, she dropped down to a crawl, her legs and arms surrounding Callie's body as she made her way slowly up her body, her voice unintentionally husky as she dipped her head to place an open mouthed kiss on a tan shoulder, then collarbone, then drew her tongue up Callie's neck, savoring the taste on her tongue, before hovering her mouth over her girlfriends, "I had a plan. For our sex-iversary night," she whispered, dipping her head, flicking out her tongue over Callie's top lip, and feeling her girlfriend shiver.

The deep tone of the Latina's voice almost made her shudder, when she asked, "Oh, you did? I saw some champagne and that you set up your iHome with something called Callie's Songs…" she trailed off, gasping when Arizona dipped her head again to pull her top lip into her mouth.

Sucking on it for a few seconds, she released, "I did have all of that planned. But. It can wait. Because I want you now, and I want you to feel how ridiculous the idea of us breaking up is."

Connecting their mouths, their tongues started that familiar dance around each other, and she shifted, resting all of her weight on one hand, as the other traced up a soft, smooth, caramel stomach, coming to cup her breast, then lifting her thumb to swipe over a hardened nipple, the feeling of the tip against her finger making her even wetter.

"Your nipples are hard even before I touch them, Calliope," she said, lowering her head to taste the skin on Callie's jaw leaving her mouth open to speak, "Did you know that?"

As her hand continued to play with her boob, pinching and rolling that nipple in the way that both she and Callie loved, she just felt her girlfriend puff a breath out against her ear, "Uh-huh."

Grinning, she nipped her teeth in, then moved her head south, toward the racing pulse on Callie's neck, switching hands, loving the way Callie bucked up into her, "And I really fucking love your chest. I know you know that, and that I've told you hundreds, probably thousands of times, but… your boobs could stop wars, just because everyone who was supposed to be taking part in them would want to stare."

Feeling Callie's body vibrate under hers in laughter, she sent her a look from under her eyelashes, "I'm not joking. This is a serious matter. I just discovered world peace." She smirked when her girlfriend laughed even harder, then went in, wrapping her lips around the tip that her hand wasn't toying with, sucking her in, tasting her. God, Callie tasted so good.

Switching gears, she moved her mouth to the other breast, this time moving her tongue in circles first, feeling her girlfriend's hips buck up, searching for friction, but she avoided touching her, taking a dark pleasure in the groan that fell from full lips. Lifting her head, she looked up at Callie, who was watching her, eyes so, so dark, "I know how to touch your body. I know what makes you so wet you're practically dripping already without even touching you. And no one else can do that."

Releasing her breath onto the wet tip she'd just released, Callie moaned, her hips arching again. Arizona gave in this time, briefly lowering her hips, touching their cores together, the feeling searing through her as Callie's hands found purchase on her hips, and they thrust together for a few seconds.

But it would be too easy for her to get lost in that feeling, and she pulled away, breathless, "I was right. You are practically dripping; I could feel you."

Callie swallowed hard, "You, too," she panted.

Trailing her lips down her girlfriend's stomach, pausing to suck on the skin of Callie's hip until she left a mark, she lifted her head again, now straddling her girlfriend's long, leg, briefly grinding herself down on it, her clit throbbing with the friction is got, her breath catching in her throat at the feeling, whispering, "Fuck, yes," before lifting herself again, "Of course I'm dripping, Calliope. All you have to do is look at me the right away and I'm ready to fuck you. And no one else can do that to me. Has ever been able to do that to me or would be able to do that to me, ever again."

"Good," she heard her girlfriend moan out, as she bit her teeth into Callie's inner thigh, so close to her heat that she could feel her on her face.

She made quick work of leaving this mark, pressing a kiss to it, "And no one else can do this to you." Turning her head, she used her hands to split Callie's lips open, giving her a long lick, from bottom to top, the taste of her was just so fucking good, and they both moaned. Her face was so close, that every word she spoke, her lips brushed against her girlfriend, "My point here is, we can't break up because there won't be anyone else who could make either one of us feel this way."

Going back in for a taste, she opened her mouth against Callie, drinking her in, before sliding her tongue up and flicking it against her clit a few times, strong hips bucking against her face, as long fingers tangled in her hair, her girlfriend's throaty voice calling out, "Yes! God, fuck, Arizona, yes!"

It had been so long since she'd had the time to just savor Callie. To really taste her, to feel the way her hands would tug her in the direction she needed to go, and she really, really missed it. She took her time, moving her mouth leisurely despite the frantic tugs on her hair. It as Callie's voice that made her stop, as she panted, "Up. Up here. I want to come, with you. Touching you."

_Yes_. Barely seconds went by before she pressed their bodies together, each other's hands managing to come between them, dipping into wet heat. As soon as she felt Callie's fingers inside of her, blue eyes rolled back, moving with her girlfriend's hand, using her own hips to get more force behind her thrusts into Callie.

Pleasure started to roll through her, the long, rolling waves of it coming with the long, deep thrusts coming from between them. She could feel the orgasm start in her stomach, slowly, tingles going outward to the rest of her body.

"Ari-zona," Callie managed to pant out, as she could feel her walls start to clench around her own fingers, that she had curled inside of her, rubbing against her, "I love – I love, " she started to get out, her mouth falling open on a long, guttural moan, her hips jerking hard against Arizona's as her release hit, the feeling of Callie bucking up hard against her, throwing the blonde headfirst into her orgasm that was no longer coming in slowly, but pounding against her.

Blood roared in her head as she stared, in a daze at the ceiling – wondering when Callie had flipped them – feeling just… magnificently boneless. Like she had melted into the mattress, she thought, still panting for air, feeling a smile on her face as Callie sucked once more on her nipple, lightly, her toes curling at the sheer shocks it sent through her even after she'd experienced that mind-blowing orgasm.

That warm mouth left her, placing a slight kiss right above her heart before that long caramel body slithered up, to her head rested against the same pillow. Feeling more relaxed and secure and at-ease than she had in months, she managed to turn her body into Callie's, the two of them easily falling into position. Callie's leg between hers, her ankle locked around her girlfriends, an arm draped over each other's waists.

Her eyes closed, and she sighed, inching her face forward just enough to press a kiss against Callie's lips, tasting them just briefly before pulling her head back and licking her own lips. She was close to sleep, that fog already starting to drift in, when her girlfriend's thumb moved in a circle on her lower back, before resting against the dimple there, "Arizona?"

"Hmm?" she asked, still drifting between being asleep and awake, her eyes snapping open only when she heard a sniffle, and felt one of Callie's tears drip onto her face.

Immediately awake, she pushed herself up onto her elbow, her hand coming up to wipe under those dark brown eyes, as her girlfriend's mouth opened, "I can't believe I almost left tonight. I – what was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that you were doing the right thing. Obviously, it wasn't. But you were doing the wrong thing for the right reasons," she assured her, smiling, trying to get one in return. When she didn't, she pressed her lips against Callie's forehead, pausing there as she continued to swipe her thumb over her girlfriend's cheek, which only increased the tears.

She shook her head, "I'm an idiot. I really am so s-stupid. I don't want to be without you. But after I talked to Rachel, I just thought –"

Her thumb paused as she registered Callie's words, and she brought her face backwards, so she could see her girlfriend's face, "Rachel? When did you talk to Rachel?"

Callie swallowed twice, her own hand coming up now, brushing against the blonde's as she wiped away her own tears, "Earlier tonight. I, um, I went to the hospital. Because I'm an idiot. And I just wanted to see you there. And Rachel, we talked. It wasn't important."

Blue eyes narrowed, but she let it go, reminding herself that when she went back for her next shift, she was going to have a nice chat with her resident. Bringing herself back to concentrate on Callie, she leaned back in, pressing their foreheads against each other, "Calliope, you didn't give up on me for months, when I didn't think I could even be in love with someone again. You having that doubt, was… extremely unpleasant," she admitted, feeling Callie shakily laugh against her before she went on, "But I'm not going to give up on us, even if you have those moments of doubt."

This time, it was Callie who pulled away, her expression solemn, "I'm _done_ with doubt. Done with it. Arizona, I'm so, so sorry about tonight. And I'll apologize for it as much as you want or need me to. But I love you, and you love me, and for all it might be hard this year and next year, I can't imagine my life without you. And I don't want to. You can be the best intern and the best girlfriend, because you don't even have to try to be the best girlfriend. You already are. I'm sorry," she said, again, closing her eyes.

Leaning in, she slid her hand down, covering Callie's mouth with her fingertips, "Don't apologize. I don't need to hear it anymore. We're good. The last two months have been hard on both of us, and we just needed to find our footing. Hopefully, we have it now."

"We're making it work. I can't go through that… earlier… not again. Even if I don't see you for over a week, we're making it work," she nodded her head, resolutely, and Arizona felt herself smile in response.

Snuggling back down, she pressed her face against her girlfriend's neck, "I'm not going through that again, either. And you weren't completely wrong; I understand that it's not fair for you to be sitting at home for hours, waiting one me. I just don't know how to fix it."

Caramel arms came around her waist, holding tightly, before rolling them so Arizona laid on top of her, "There is no fixing it. It is what it is. And I'll have to do it next year, and this is going to be our life, when we're doctors. It's the new normal. We'll both get used to it, and it'll be fine."

Long fingers worked their way up her back, digging in and massaging in the perfect spots. Dropping her head against her girlfriend's shoulder, she sighed, eyes closing. If there was anything on this planet more relaxing than first having sex with Callie then getting a massage… there wasn't.

Just as she was on that cusp of falling asleep again, Callie's fingers paused, "Arizona?"

"Hmm?" she responded, drowsy.

"Is the offer of moving in still on the table?" Callie asked, once again waking Arizona up very simply.

Staring down at her, she lifted an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I thought... you didn't want to, because it wouldn't feel right."

Callie bit her lip, "We'll talk more about it tomorrow, maybe? But I think maybe it might be right."

It would be right, Arizona thought, because _they_ were right. Nestling her head back down she nodded, "Okay. We'll talk more about it tomorrow."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I appreciate all of the comments and opinions from before, as always. Thank you so much for reading!**


	40. Blue Hours

When Callie had a day in which she didn't have anything scheduled to do, she was used to waking up when the sun shining in her window was nearing afternoon intensity. The sounds that would be heard from outside were that of midday, noonish sounds, and she could tell just from before she opened her eyes that this was not her preferred time to wake up.

And she was waking up to perfect serenity. That _never_ happened. Her eyes blinked open, only seeing bright gold in front of her eyes. Blinking a few times, she inched her head back, out of where it had been buried in Arizona's hair, she looked at the clock. It was hardly seven, and yet she was awake. Something was just pulling at her mind, and it wouldn't let go. Something in this room was different, and it was wrong.

Then she realized, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the bureau, that the top middle drawer that was slightly open, was empty. _Her_ drawer, was empty. As gently as possible, because Arizona was a fairly light sleeper, she lifted her arm from the slim waist it was wrapped around and slid backwards. Aside from a sigh and a slight shuffling of her legs, her girlfriend didn't wake up.

It took her less than five minutes to collect her clothes where they were lying in a pile in the hall just outside of the bedroom, and back into the drawer. Sliding it closed gently, so it barely made a sound, she kept her hands there, pausing. In the mirror attached to the bureau she could see Arizona's up and down movement of breathing under her sheet.

She had been prepared to give this up last night. Tiptoeing back to the bed, she slid back in, lifting her hand up to stroke over messy blonde waves. Last night, she had told herself that she could live without waking up to Arizona, or feeling this hair, or smelling her… without her, period. Because she'd been so sure it was the right thing for her girlfriend.

But the solution was simpler than a breakup. They just had to work harder, both of them, but also her. There were simple things that could change that would make their lives easier, and she'd been too dumb to realize that before, but after experiencing the feeling like she was ripping out her own heart last night, she knew that she could do better.

Leaning down to press a light kiss to Arizona's temple, she slowly pulled away again. She had stuff to work on.

When Arizona woke up, nearly two hours later, she stretched her arms out wide, sighing with content. Sleeping in on-call rooms at the hospital had given her a new appreciation for her own bed. Then she frowned, eyes opening, because Callie wasn't in bed with her. And it was only nin o'clock… something definitely wasn't right here.

But then she smelled bacon, and she got out of bed, following the scent to the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, she couldn't stop the incredible feeling, the feeling of pure happiness, at waking up to Callie, singing Spanish lyrics under her breath, while she pulled out two plates.

Smiling, she said, "I can't believe you're up this early."

Then she laughed, as Callie jumped, and clutched her hands tightly at the top of the robe she was wearing – Arizona's black thin robe – and she spun to look, wide eyed at her girlfriend.

Heart pounding against her ribs, Callie's mouth fell open, blood rushing south of where it should be while she was cooking bacon with grease on the stovetop. Because Arizona was naked. Just completely stark naked from the night before. Her hands went slack on the robe she was holding closed, which managed to snap her out of her stupor of staring at the blonde, "Go back to bed!" she ordered, pointing her finger back to where Arizona had come from.

An instant pout came up onto her lips, "But I like to watch you cook. And in my robe – why are you wearing my robe?"

"Uh, no reason," she said, fixing on a smile. Which fell when Arizona simple lifted her eyebrow, and Callie gave her a hard look, "I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed. And even though it's not a surprise anymore, you go back. And I'll be in in a minute."

The blonde sighed, "Fine. I'll go." But she hesitated, before saying, "You don't have to make up for anything. If this is still an apology for last night, then… it doesn't have to be. I meant it when I said no more apologies. Last night was… what it was, but we're moving on from it. We've moved on from it. No breakup, and that's that."

Feeling a slow smile spread across her lips, she nodded, "Okay. Good. Then, this breakfast is for our sex-iversary. I've been thinking, it technically began last night… but we had a weekend together, per your rules. So it should probably span two days, right?"

Her smile was matched by a dimpled one, "Right. Two day sex-iversary."

She nodded, "Good. Now, back to bed, I'll be in in a few minutes."

True to her word, she met her girlfriend in the bedroom, two plates of bacon and eggs on a tray, the robe knotted at her waist to hold it together. They ate in silence for a few minutes before she put her plate down, "So I was working on something earlier."

Mouth full, Arizona just looked at her with inquisitive blue eyes, and she reached over to grab her planner for that was sitting on the bedside table. Flipping it open to the current month, she slid it in front of her girlfriend, "Okay, I spent almost an hour working on this. The red is your working schedule. The purple is my classes and thesis design group schedule. And the blue is our time off together!"

Arizona stared at the schedule, swallowing slowly, "This is really detailed. You did this?"

Smiling triumphantly, she nodded, "This way, it's a clear outline of our upcoming month. And if you look at it like this, it's not so bad."

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes toward her, a wry expression on her face, which made Callie laugh just a little bit, "Okay, it's not amazing." The red dominated the schedule, the purple coming in a close second, and the blue spots… well, some weeks they had up to thirty-five hours of blue… others they had as low as sixteen hours. But sixteen hours was sixteen hours, and they would do what they could, "But this way I can schedule my clinical hours and get my assignments done around your schedule so that when you're off, I'll be off, too."

Arizona raised her eyebrows, nodding, "I mean, when you say it like that, the schedule is probably a really good thing."

Agreeing, she bounced a little bit in the bed, "And with me moving in and all, it'll be even better. Even on days where you're just exhausted, and all you want to do is sleep, then you'll be sleeping here, in our bed. And I'll be here without us having to plan it all out," she finished, snapping her calendar closed, feeling triumphant at her plan, just as Arizona looked around the bedroom with a grimace.

Though the blonde's features quickly shifted into a schooled smile, her look didn't go unnoticed by the brunette, who narrowed her eyes as she nudged Arizona with her elbow, "What? That was definitely a _face_ you just pulled at me." Oh. Feeling a the dregs of disappointment tug at her stomach, she took a bite of her breakfast, then nodded slowly, "I mean, I am jumping a little headfirst into this moving in together thing. We could take it slower. I get it."

Arizona sat up quickly, knocking her fork off her plate and the tray, hearing it bounce on the floor and ignoring it as she reached her hand out, putting it on Callie's arm, "No, no, that's not it at all. I want to live with you; I want us to live together. That's not it at all," she repeated because her girlfriend was giving her that look of a perfect eyebrow slanted at her in disbelief.

"Then what is it?" she asked, pushing her eggs around on her plate, her appetite rapidly deteriorating.

Taking her time now, Arizona slid the tray forward before sitting up straight, pillows not keeping her propped up, biting her lip in that paradoxically cute and sexy way, "It's not about us living together; it's about where we're going to live together."

Confused, she recalled the moment a few weeks ago to make sure she wasn't misunderstanding anything, before putting her own plate on the side table and turning to face her girlfriend, "You were the one who said that you wanted me to move in with you, though."

Slim fingers played with the edge of the sheet, "I know I said to move in with me. And I _do_ want you to move in with me, somewhere. I just don't know if I want you to move in with me here."

Callie looked around the room, before her eyes landed back on Arizona, "Okay? I mean… we could move into my apartment, I guess. But I have Cristina there, so our alone time when you're not working wouldn't really completely be alone time. And I'd have to talk to her about it – I think she and Owen might be trying to work something out to change their living situation, too. I just didn't think about my place because it's more complicated to work it all out."

Letting out a soft laugh, the blonde shook her head, her tumbled hair moving with at the same time, "No, I mean, I don't mind Cristina. Most of the time. But I don't really want to live with her, especially because I envision my days off with you generally with a lot of skin and nakedness and your boobs not in a bra, and we can't walk around like that when Cristina's around."

Grinning, she imagined the scenario Arizona described. Thinking of her girlfriend walking around naked in an apartment they shared together, sounded… fabulous, "So what's so wrong with your place then?" Looking at the blonde, her eyes slowly moving over shoulder blades that she found oddly, ridiculously sexy, and how she could see the swell of her breast right under the sheet. Swallowing hard, she brought her eyes back up to amused blue ones, she nodded, "Your place is a good place to be naked, in my opinion."

Sighing, Arizona leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and then going even farther, gripping her feet with her hands, revealing her entire back to brown eyes as she stretched, her vertebrae popping back into place, before she sat back, "Just look around. My apartment isn't you. This," she said, pointing to a picture frame she had that was pink with just a hint of sparkles, "is not Callie." Broadening her gesture, she looked around the whole place, "Everything in here isn't you. You told me in like, October, that it looks like I live in an "Easter egg"." She said the words with an exaggerated air quotes.

Unable to stop herself from laughing, she thought back to when she'd said that. It was the first time Arizona had brought her to her apartment to have sex. They'd run into each other late at night, at a party, and Arizona had been chatting it up with another girl by the time Callie got there. And she didn't like it, but she couldn't say anything because that was against Arizona's stupid rules. So instead, she'd found her own way to get the blonde's attention, dancing with another woman.

Arizona had intervened only a few dances in and suggested they get out of there. She had secretly really, really loved that the blonde wasn't going to leave with that girl she'd been talking to, so they'd left. By the time they'd reached Arizona's bedroom, she'd seen enough to declare the apartment, "Cheery – Easter egg cheery – with just a hint of pep."

Looking around at the pastel walls, she nodded, "Yeah and it still looks like you live in an Easter egg. But I do love that you remembered that I told you that, almost a year ago."

Arizona just gave her a dry look, "Do we need to go over that I really, really liked you, and that I remember most things that you said to me, even before I was ready to date you? I feel like we've covered that before."

Sticking out her tongue, she shrugged, "Maybe I just like hearing it."

"Well, I'll keep saying it. But that's not the point. The point is, my place still looks like an Easter egg. I have butterflies on my wall – you don't do butterflies," Arizona pointed to said decoration next to her mirror, and Callie eyed them.

They weren't _her_, it was true, because she would never decorate anything with butterflies. But they were a part of Arizona, which she found adorable, and had gotten used to them in the last eleven months, "I do your butterflies."

Arizona's eyebrows drew down even as a laugh slipped out, "Shut up." Reaching out, her hand pushed at Callie as she laughed even more, "I feel like that sounds innocent and inappropriate at the same time." Clearing her throat, she sobered, "But seriously. I don't think of butterflies when I think of Calliope."

Poking her finger out, she pushed it into her girlfriend's shoulder, "Yeah, when you think about my apartment you think _frowny_," she said, rolling her eyes, remembering how Arizona had shot that back at her when she'd commented on the sheer brightness of her room.

Reaching back to fluff up her pillows again, she leaned onto them, reaching for her breakfast tray once more, "I'm just saying that what we need is a butterfly-to-frowny ratio." She reached down, and the look on her face when she realized that her fork had been knocked onto the ground made Callie grin.

Handing her the fork off of her abandoned plate, she reminded her, "Isn't that what paint is for?"

Biting on a piece of bacon, the blonde head leaned back onto the headboard, "Just listen, decorating aside, my place is cramped with only me living here. It's a tiny one-bedroom, one small bathroom, with an adjoined kitchen and living room. It was designed for one person to live here – a small, solitary person, at that. I lived here because it was my cheapest option and because I didn't you know, _plan_ on you. But now… look at the tiny closet," she said, pointing the bacon in her hand to the slightly open closet that was filled to the brim with the blonde's clothes, then moved her hand across the room, "And the bureau. There's really not any more room for another person to move in here, and you have a lot of clothes."

Scanning her eyes around the room, she saw where Arizona was coming from, commenting, "Your stuff barely fits in here." The blonde was right; Callie's drawer space was even a sacrifice, because Arizona – who didn't have as many material items as the brunette – barely had enough room for all of her stuff, and there wasn't really any room that they would be able to fit another dresser or anything inside…

"So I was thinking, instead of you moving in with me, or me moving in with you – aside from the nakedness, your apartment is nice, but three people living there would just be too crowded there, too – we find a new place, together," Arizona said as she finished her breakfast, putting the tray off her lap and onto the table next to her.

"Our place," she whispered, picturing the possibilities in her mind as warmth rushed through her. Why had it taken her so long to come to that conclusion? Obviously, that was the best option for them.

"Mhmm," Arizona said, her eyes focused on Callie's bottom lip, as she started to lean in, "That sounds really good. Really… good," she whispered, her breath brushing the brunette's lips. And before they could make contact, Callie pulled back, grinning at Arizona's groan, "Where are you going?"

Turning away from the blonde, she got up from the bed and walked to the iHome, pressing play to the playlist Arizona had set with for them. As a low beat started pounding through the room, she answered, "I'm starting our day two sex-iversary."

But instead of climbing back into bed, she walked to the side her girlfriend was on and took the sheet that was covering her, yanking it down and leaving that gorgeous pale body completely, magnificently naked. Her heart started beating loudly in her ears, her center pulsing just as she looked at Arizona's body. She just had perfect… everything. Her boobs were just the right size, rose-colored nipples tightening already, her hips had the softest curve, and her hipbones and collarbones protruded just a bit, just enough that Callie loved to feel them.

"Are you just going to look or are you going to touch?" Arizona asked, her voice already a register lower than usual.

Swallowing hard, she let a small smile pull at her lips, "Oh, I'm going to touch," she assured, raking her eyes down that body again, whispering more to herself than her girlfriend, "Definitely going to touch."

Lifting her hands, she unbelted the robe she had on, shimmying with the music, as she slid the robe off her shoulders, slowly, reveling in the way the blonde's mouth fell open and her breathing hitched as she revealed the lingerie she'd put on in preparation for day two.

"Calliope," Arizona breathed out, pushing herself up onto her knees and reaching her hands out, "You look…" the groan she let out said it all, and Callie felt victorious, her own hands coming up to stop the skillful ones belonging to her girlfriend that were reaching for her.

Capturing them, she came to kneel on the bed, pushing Arizona first into a sitting position and then on her back, "Uh uh, not taking all of this off yet. You've barely gotten to enjoy the way it looks."

Blue eyes were glued to her breasts, which was a main reason why she'd bought this particular set. It was red lace, that cupped her boobs, pushing them up in a way that she knew would make Arizona's heart race. She practically spilled out over the top, and the blonde licked her lips before she said, "I, ah… believe me, I enjoy the way that looks on you just fine in the last ten seconds. But you would look better out of it."

"Well, that's a shame, because I have a little plan, you see. I came up with it this morning – you know, mornings are productive times to get stuff done," she said conversationally, climbing on top of her girlfriend's naked body, resting a leg on either side and straddling her hips.

Arizona's hands jerked in hers, and flexed in the way that made Callie know without a doubt that they wanted to be on her. Despite the heat that it made flash through her, she kept her pinned down, while the blonde licked her lips, "Yeah, productive."

Enjoying the way those blue eyes were starting to cloud over, she wiggled her hips a little, immediately feeling Arizona's arch up at the friction, her own eyes darkening, heartbeat quickening, at the way the arching of her girlfriend's back pushed her breasts up.

"You keep your hands there, okay?" When she got no response, she squeezed those hands in hers, "Okay?"

"Ummm," Arizona's eyes flicked away from her body, up to meet hers, "Yeah. Right, no moving my hands. Got it."

A triumphant smile stole over her face as she slowly lowered her hands, dragging them down her arms slowly, massaging the skin and the muscles on her way down, "You know what I noticed last night before you fell asleep?" She asked, bringing her hands down lower, until they came down to her abdomen, sliding to the sides of her breasts, fingers pressing in.

Pink lips parted, as she panted, "What?" and visible shivers took over her body.

Pressing her fingers in circles, moving them closer to those pert breasts, but not touching even though she wanted it, even though she could _see_ how much Arizona wanted it, she veered off, going down to a toned stomach, rubbing in the same circles, "You are extremely tense."

Rather than respond, Arizona just nodded, keeping her eyes open, staring her. After long moment, she dragged her hands up and made contact with those boobs, but not her nipples. A blonde head dug back into the pillow, while her fingers slid, rubbing patterns into that pale skin, the supple flesh under her hands arching into her.

Lightly, she brushed up her thumbs, letting them ghost against those nipples just barely, before pulling back and moving back down her body, despite Arizona's whine of protest. Past her stomach, she brought her hands to either thigh, pressing into the muscles there, though she was getting tenser and tenser instead of relaxing, "Higher," she whimpered, as Callie slid her hands to inner thighs.

Such soft skin, she thought, her fingers moving slowly, inching up and down already trembling legs, then back out to her outer legs, smiling slightly at the groan of disappointment falling from her girlfriend's lips. Moving her hands back in, she kept one on the inner thigh, pressing into the muscles there, as she brought her other hand up, massaging it into the trimmed curls at the top of her sex.

Her mouth fell open, "_Yes_, more," she demanded, but Callie deliberately kept her touch away from direct contact from where her girlfriend wanted it.

She would slide down just a little, just enough to almost make contact with a hard, protruding clit, each time hearing Arizona's gasp of anticipation, before she would retreat. While that hand retreated back to those curls, her other snuck up, fingers pressing against her slit, still keeping up that motion of her massage, letting her fingers dip in slightly, wetting them, before taking her hands away completely.

"Calliope, no," came the whimpered protest from underneath her, the sound digging right at her core, painting a picture in her head of what she wanted to do.

Sitting back, she looked down, waiting for Arizona's dark eyes to meet hers, before she ordered, "Turn over."

Light eyebrows drew down, her hips rising to try to gain attention, "What? Calliope, no, I want… I need…"

"I know what you want and what you need. Turn. Over," she repeated, her own hands going to those hips, thumbs pressing against the bones, before she assisted in turning Arizona to rest on her stomach.

And then she let out a moan herself, unable to hold it in. Because, damn, her girlfriend seriously had the best ass in the world. Her hands found their way to that butt, massaging again, fingertips pressing in, while her thumbs stroked over the skin, and the blonde wiggled her hips firmer into her touch, letting out a loud groan that was muffled by the pillow, "Come on," she panted out, "Touch –"

Arizona cut herself off, a loud moan ripping through the room as Callie zipped her hand between her legs, a finger sliding inside of her girlfriend, moving in and out at a slow pace, pressing against her inner walls in the same way her hand was still rubbing her ass. She kept the pace up, refusing to go faster even when the blonde begged for it, even when her wrist started to burn.

She took a primal pleasure in the way Arizona's hands held on to the sheets underneath them, her knuckles white, "Calliope… faster… please."

"Nope," she replied, knowing Arizona could come like this, feeling the way her walls were gripping are already so fucking tightly.

When she could see the muscles in her butt start to flex, pressing her hips into the mattress as Arizona pushed her forehead into the pillow under her head, she slid her other hand down, dancing her fingers over her clit, the touch enough to give Arizona what she was looking for, a scream tearing out of her mouth, while her hips undulated, and her core gripped Callie's finger inside of her.

When it was over, Callie licked her lips, leaning back on her knees and looking down at her still quaking girlfriend. Her head was turned to the side, and she could see the way Arizona's lips were parted, sucking in air, goose bumps visible all over her body. Bringing her hands down, she put them on pale, slim hips, and tugged up on one side.

Her girlfriend complied, rolling so she was lying on her back, eyes still closed, breath still short. She wasn't entirely sure how the lingerie on her body hadn't melted off, because watching Arizona come – feeling her – as she'd exploded so intensely around her made her so fucking hot it felt like it wasn't humanly possible to be so turned on. Aching for release herself, she watched as Arizona reached a shaking hand up, swiping matted blonde hair that was sticking to her face with sweat back, as blurred blue eyes blinked open.

"That was… that was…" her voice came out, raspy, and she swallowed a few times, not being able to finish the sentence she started, as dark, so dark, sapphire blue eyes roamed down her body, and Callie could swear she could see the way the spark ignited behind them again. A pink tongue peeked out of her mouth, and she groaned.

Pushing herself up and over Arizona, she balanced herself on one hand, and slid her tongue against her girlfriend's, as her hand roamed lower, coming into contact with the blonde's center. Feeling her mouth open before she heard the gasp, she slid her finger back into the heat, "You have eight hours before you need to be back at the hospital."

Hands that had been loosely clutching onto the blankets of the bed shot out to go to Callie's hips, holding tightly while her breath shuddered out. Freezing, she asked, "Do you need to wait before going again?"

Those ocean eyes, stared widely into hers as Arizona shook her head, "N-no, I want – I can – uhhhh – you feel good," she managed to get out, groaning when Callie moved again, her hands started to claw at the lace on Callie's body, "I just want you, fuck, I want your skin this time."

Barely stopping her eyes from rolling back into her head, because holy fucking shit her girlfriend was hot, she nodded, slipping out of that heat as her own hands came up to start taking off her clothes. Arizona shook her head, "No," she whispered, before sitting up, and pushing Callie onto her back, "I'm to take you out of this. Piece by piece. Because we have time today."

As she felt Arizona's hot mouth close around her through the fabric, her eyes squeezed closed on a whimper. God yes, they had all day of blue hours.

* * *

With a coat folded over her arm, Arizona walked into the hospital feeling better than she had… than she ever had coming into work in the last two months. Because for the first time, she had no doubt that she and Callie were on good terms. And she wasn't worried that her girlfriend was going to be upset at her for while she was here.

And her body was sore in the _best_ way possible, her legs had barely stopped feeling like jelly an hour ago, because she and Callie hadn't had a sex marathon like today in… even weeks before her residency started. But she couldn't remember it being as fantastic as it had been today.

So she walked through the front doors with a bounce in her step and a huge smile on her face. A smug, bright, cheery, dimpled smile that she wouldn't take off even if she could. It was still there, even as she saw a flash of brown hair and glasses turning the corner.

Her stomach bubbled in – she wasn't entirely sure what, but it was the most animosity she'd ever felt for another person before. Rivaling that of what she'd felt for Joanne, but she thought it was even worse. Because breaking up with Joanne, being cheated on by her, seemed like the worst thing that could have happened to her back when it actually happened, and that had taken her so long to get over…

But she knew that if Callie had left her last night, if they had actually broken up… there would be no getting over that. Not for her.

Speeding up her pace, she saw a small smile cross Rachel's features as she slowed down so Arizona could catch up to her. Things between them since that night where she'd remembered being with Rachel back at Hopkins had gotten better; she wasn't treated like she was the lowest intern. But this was just unacceptable.

As she reached her, Rachel grinned, closing the chart in her hands, "Robbins, starting your shift?"

Ignoring her question, she grabbed the elbow of her lab coat and pulled her to a stop, looking around to make sure they had some modicum of privacy, she folded her arms across her chest, trying to hold down her… whatever this feeling was. It was more intense than simple anger, she was sure. She somehow managed to keep her voice down when she felt like yelling, "I could handle you treating me like crap. I can handle taking the brunt of your – your bitterness and sadness and whatever else you were feeling. I can handle that."

Her boss' eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, "Okay? I don't really –"

Cutting her off, she shook her head, hands clamping down, holding her arms across her chest tightly, "What I can't handle is you trying to sabotage my relationship with my girlfriend."

Now those eyes glinted in understanding as a light blush tinged her cheeks, "I wasn't doing anything like that. Your _girlfriend_ snuck into the OR gallery, which I didn't report her for, by the way, and all I did was tell her the truth. That you've been clearly having trouble balancing things. Everyone here knows it."

Rage burned inside of her, "The truth? Because I'm pretty sure the truth is _not_ that I'm not going to make it through the program. In fact, I think if you asked the Chief who would make it through the program, I would probably be pretty high up on the list, even despite my "balancing troubles"," the words sizzled as they came out of her mouth, scorching the back of her throat as she thought to a few hours ago.

Callie had made them dinner at four, as they'd both been starving, skipping lunch in favor of some really, really amazing slow – practically torturous – sex in which Callie had pinned her against the door. But while she'd been making dinner, Arizona was finally able to break her down to repeat Rachel's words. And she knew that her girlfriend wasn't lying about it.

And what she knew was proven correct as she watched the red color in Hayden's cheeks darken, "I, uh, I just… I was…"

"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I treated you and any other girls back at Hopkins who might feel the same way. It was crappy of me to do that, but at the same time, you told me you knew what you were getting into. And even then, I still felt bad. But no more. I don't know what you thought you might gain out of making Callie doubt us, but even if you had managed to break us up – which you didn't – I still wouldn't be with you," she tossed at her, watching Rachel's face pale just a bit.

The light brown haired head shook, "I wasn't… what, so if you and Callie broke up you would just be single forever?"

"Yes," the word left her mouth before she could even properly think about it, shocking them both. It was something she'd feared for months, back in the beginning, and had come to rely on now – that loving and being loved by Callie Torres was something that she would never get over. "But we aren't breaking up, not now. We're doing the opposite." The pager that was hooked onto her jeans pocket started to beep, and she realized that her shift had officially started already. Looking down at it, then back at Rachel, who was giving her somewhat of a slack jawed look, "I could go on, but listen to me when I tell you – if you ever try to interfere with my relationship again, I won't hold myself back."

Spinning on her heel – she needed to get to the locker room and change before responding to the page – she gave one look at her resident, who still looked a little shocked, and felt incredibly satisfied.

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts! Your responses to last chapter was incredible, and I am so appreciative. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for reading!**


	41. Apartment Warming Party

The last two weeks had been crazily busy. Truth be told, the entire last month had felt like it had flown by, Callie thought, hands on her hips as she surveyed the apartment, checking the time on the clock. Soon, this nice and new apartment would be full of people. She and Arizona had decided to throw an apartment warming party tonight.

All right, maybe not a party, but a small gathering type thing. Mark, Addison, Cristina, Owen, a few people she knew from thesis design, and Alex from the hospital. She was hoping word hadn't traveled about the small party, because that was exactly what she wanted to keep it – a small party.

The door swung open from behind her, making her jump, as a voice she'd become extremely familiar with announced, "Callie, you do not look party-ready at all."

Spinning, looking at the man with a smile, she playfully narrowed her eyes at him, "Well, you look the same as you always do. How does that make you party ready?"

"Because I got my sweet dance moves," Tim answered, shaking his hips is a terrible rhythm that made her laugh. He kicked the door closed behind him, "But really, you got people coming in like ten minutes, and you look great and all, wearing your yoga pants and loose tank top, but I just assumed you would be wearing something more party like. Hey, it is your party, don't let me tell you what to do."

Looking down at herself, she rolled her eyes. No, this was the outfit she'd worn for the last two hours as she'd made sure every nook and cranny of their space was perfectly clean. "All right, I'm going to change. You let people in if they come," she directed.

He saluted her as she walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Inside, she couldn't help but feel so… happy. This was she and Arizona's apartment. _Their_ apartment, together. Where they lived. Together. They found the place two weeks ago, and it was empty but looking to sell fast; they put a down payment on it right away. After all, they were both pretty much all packed by that point and the anticipation of finding a place, moving in with one another, was too much for either of them to not be completely ready.

The first week had been spent with paint. Lots and lots of paint, in which many small arguments had abounded. She just could not understand Arizona's affinity for pastels – they'd engaged in a half hour long debate in which her girlfriend had insisted that pastels were soft and soothing, whereas she'd argued that they were too neutral and washed out. Because they were.

Pink had been vetoed as a potential color for _any_ room, except possibly as a bathroom accent color, but she'd relented for the bedroom, which was now a pale, sky blue. The living room was _cream_ she thought with a small smile. She had voted for a dark color, but Arizona insisted on another light room. But the kitchen/dining area was a nice, dark red – her choice.

And last week had started the actual move. In which they had to determine which furniture was going to be taken with them, whose to move or toss or put in storage. Once everything was decided, the morning of the starting of the actual move, Tim had surprised them at Arizona's old apartment, ready to stay for a week and assist as a mover.

Which was wonderful, because between him and Mark busting their asses, the majority of the heavy furniture was taken care of. Tim, this time, had booked a hotel to stay at, rather than Arizona's couch. Because of the surprise, he claimed, but Callie had a sneaking suspicion it was more for women.

Changing into a pair of dark, tight jeans, and a black, slinky top that she bought last week, and Arizona had yet to see her in. While she took out her hair, shaking it out, bunching her hands in it to style the curls, she heard the door open, and Tim's voice. Followed by a few more voices. The party had officially started. Looking down at her phone resting on the bureau, she noted that Arizona was supposed to be getting out of the hospital any minute now.

Staring at the screen hard, as if willing for it to light up with a call or text from her girlfriend, to indicate whether she would be working late or not, it seemed this new psychic power worked. Her girlfriend's name flashed on the screen and she felt this feeling in her gut, instinct telling her that Arizona was going to be late, as she answered, "Hello, pretty lady."

The sigh that came through the line verified her gut instinct, "Calliope, I know we have the party tonight… and I want to come. I _will_ come. But this guy just got rushed in, and –"

"And you have the chance to be in on the surgery," she finished, her voice not angry, her tone not having any inflection. Because in the last month, she'd managed to get over her issues. Arizona was being a completely kick-ass intern, and she deserved to get in on any surgery that she was able to. It was what came with the territory of wanting to be with a doctor, and she was going to be going through the same thing in less than a year.

It was okay. As long as they both came home to each other at the end of the say – of the shift, she supposed she should say – they'd get through it.

"I'm sorry," Arizona said, and Callie could hear in the background sounds of doors opening and a little bit of shouting. Someone called for "Dr. Robbins!" to follow, and it didn't make her frustrated or irritated like it had in the beginning. It made her fucking proud that her girlfriend was the one people were coming to rely on.

Combing her fingers through her hair once more, she shh'd her girlfriend, "Don't say you're sorry. You didn't do anything wrong! Do you want me to… cancel the party?" she offered, chewing on her lip as she heard the front door be opened once more, more people coming in.

Quickly, she was met with a, "No, no, no. You party it up, and have a drink for me! But I shouldn't be here all night; I might be able to make the end of the party," she said, sounding hopeful.

Nodding, then calling herself stupid because obviously Arizona wouldn't be able to know she was nodding, she exhaled in relief, "Good, because people are already starting to come. I hope you get out in time to come, but either way, I'll see you later tonight," she finished with a slight sing-song voice.

"You will!" Arizona proclaimed, a smile able to be heard from over the line, then she repeated, softer, "You will. I'm coming home _right_ after I'm done."

"All right," she was prepared to say more, to ask questions about what said surgery was that came up, because she had found that a sure fire way of both satisfying her curiosity about her girlfriend's life at the hospital and proving to Arizona that she was interested, was to ask. But she heard her girlfriend's name be called out again, and she simply said, "Go be amazing."

She could hear that the blonde was on the move, as she proudly responded, "Oh, I will be. I love you."

"I love you too," Callie managed to get out before the phone went dead. That was another thing she'd learned to do in the last month. At the end of their calls – which were more frequent now, because an agreement they'd come to was to call whenever possible instead of text – when Arizona had to rush off, she had to say her I-love-yous and goodbyes quickly and suddenly because by the time the blonde would disconnect their calls, she was already on the move.

Opening the bedroom door, her eyes widened in surprise at just how many people had arrived in the twenty or so minutes that she was in her room. As someone, she couldn't see who, turned on the music, she shook her head. Oh well. Hopefully these people brought their own alcohol because she and Arizona definitely didn't have enough stock for all of them.

It turned out, they did bring their own alcohol. And were plenty generous with it, too, she thought, her mind cloudy with slightlyyyy more than a buzz only an hour later. Leaving the living room, which had become the dance floor, her face flushed ridiculously hot from both the liquor she'd been drinking at the dancing, she made her way to the kitchen.

A hand offered her another shot, from the left. When she turned her head to look, she saw Natalie there, offering it with a smile, "Hey, Callie. I guess my invite got lost in the mail?"

For some reason, she found that hilarious, and she downed the shot while she giggled. She hadn't invited Natalie because of those rules she and Arizona had made months ago, wherein Natalie wasn't supposed to be in her apartment late at night. Then again, it wasn't as if they were alone. Looking around the kitchen, though, she realized that there was no one else in the room. So technically they were alone. And that thought made her giggle even more.

Then Natalie started to giggle, "So this is your new apartment? I heard you were throwing a party with Arizona, to celebrate you two moving in together. But I don't see her here…" she trailed off, looking at Callie out of the corner of her eye.

But Callie just went about digging through the cabinets in search of some chips, "Yeah, she's not here. At the hospital. She was supposed to be here. But she went to do another surgery."

Natalie came up next to her, "Oh, I see. So is it still rough like it was a few months ago?"

"Hmm. Not as bad. But I still miss her," she commented, then grinned in triumph. Chips! She reached up to grab them, losing her balance and stumbling slightly to the side, only steadied by the other woman's arms catching her around her waist.

She was suddenly very close to blue eyes. Arizona had blue eyes, like shining, bright, deep blue eyes. These eyes weren't like that. She stared into them, trying to figure out what exactly it was that was _off_ about them. Maybe it was –

Everything came to a sudden halt as lips pressed against hers. Lips that weren't Arizona's and that were missing that _something_ just like her eyes were. Eyes widening, her heart starting to jackhammer against her ribs, while her stomach felt like it was churning, her hands came up an she pushed the shorter woman away, "What are you doing?"

Natalie even looked surprised at herself, "I just… you… the eye contact we were having and I thought you wanted –"

Shaking her head quickly – too quickly, because it set her world spinning in a really bad way, she took a step back, "No! I didn't want… no. I want Arizona. I only want Arizona." Recalling the feeling of those lips against hers, she shuddered, "Only Arizona."

Natalie's mouth gaped open while her cheeks flamed bright, intense red, "I – um, I'm sorry! I'm going to go," she squeaked out, then ran from the room, while Callie wasn't entirely sure she wasn't going to vomit in the sink.

* * *

"There's going to be alcohol at this shindig tonight, right?" Alex grunted at her, as he threw his scrubs into the hamper.

Rolling her eyes at him, she answered, "Yes, Karev, we're going to have alcohol. Now, you need to hurry up," she didn't mean to huff at him, but her impatience was getting the better of her. Callie had been super awesome during the last month of apartment hunting and getting everything ready.

Because she did work late, at least a little bit, more often than not, even if by a half hour or so. She was trying her best to leave at reasonable times, but she just couldn't always turn her back on what came in when she was supposed to be leaving. Like tonight. And Callie, after the crap they went through for the first few months, understood. She'd been so patient and didn't hold it against her when she didn't make it in time for plans.

And in turn, she tried her best to be home for her. She knew Callie didn't want her to feel torn, but somehow, knowing her girlfriend wasn't upset at her for missing their plans made her feel guilty. She _thrived_ at the hospital, and the energy, what she was doing, saving lives, the surgeries… it gave her a rush that she'd been craving for twenty years. Which was incredible and she loved it. But she still had that small feeling of guilt when she had to cancel on Callie, because she missed her, too.

And she didn't want to miss everything, which was why she was in a rush to get back home. This was their first night having people over to their apartment, and yes, she'd wanted to be in on the emergency surgery that she'd scrubbed in on for the last hour and a half. But… well, there was that torn feeling coming in.

Alex shoved his arm into his jacket, "Calm down, you're already – what, two hours? – late. Nothing's going to change drastically in the extra few minutes it'll take me to get on my freaking coat."

Rolling her eyes at him, he smirked back at her. She wouldn't have been able to foresee how much she'd come to like him in the last three months, but for some inexplicable reason, they worked as friends. As they made their way to the door, a voice they'd both come to try to avoid as much as possible came from the other side of the locker room, "Did you guys say you're going to a party?"

Ben Spencer, she thought, closing her eyes, while Alex groaned out loud. Hitting him in the stomach, she turned, "Uh, well, hmm. It's not a party, really, just a small, little thing at my apartment. I just moved in with my girlfriend and we're celebrating with some friends."

His thin face with some scraggly facial hair that really needed to go lit up in a grin as he slammed his locker shut, "Cool! Sarah," he looked over his shoulder where his girlfriend was finishing changing as well, "Arizona wants us to come to her party!"

Her mouth floundered open, just a little bit, because there were things she wanted to say. Like that both of those people were two of the most irritating people she had ever met who both had very high opinions of themselves – so she guessed they were perfect for each other – but she just snapped her mouth closed and smiled tightly at them. It was fine, really, because all she wanted to do was get home. Who cared about two extra guests joining them?

So the four of them set off, and along the way, they bumped into Kate, who somehow joined the group of them. And even though Alex gave her a look, she just kept her head up and kept going. Bossy-know-it-all Kate was just… also not ideal company but she wasn't letting it slow her down.

Her steps only faltered when they exited the front doors and saw Rachel standing there. The brunette gave them a raised eyebrow look, given that the group they had going on wasn't exactly the social norm here, before she gave a small smile, then looked away. After their little altercation that had happened between them a month ago, they'd taken to having an effective working relationship. They were polite but didn't make chit-chat.

Then as they walked by, Kate, desperate to get in good with the resident, said, "Dr. Hayden! We're all headed to a little party Arizona is having. Do you want to come?"

Both she and Alex, who were leading the group, paused, while Rachel looked between Kate and Arizona, unsure of what to say. And after one glance at her cell phone telling her how late she was, the blonde just shrugged, "Whoever is going, let's get a move on, all right?"

She couldn't hold a grudge against her boss forever, and that feeling of indignation had ceased to erase her appetite at the sight of the brunette two weeks ago. And saying that Rachel couldn't come would spark the curiosity from everyone else as to why not. The only person she'd told anything about their little situation to was Alex, who was looking at her speculatively, like if she said no he was just going to tell any questions from anyone else to shove them.

But she didn't want to take that extra time and she didn't want the questions. She just wanted to get home. Seeking out those brown eyes from behind the glasses, she shrugged, "Sure. Come on."

During their apartment search, they'd tried to find something that was near the midway mark to campus and the hospital, and they'd ended up finding a place that was slightly closer to the hospital than campus, but not that far from either. A good location, a great apartment, and the best girlfriend to come home to. There really wasn't anything more she could ask for.

She led the group in the front doors, then up two flights of stairs to the apartment, hearing Ben Spencer's excited voice from behind her about how he hadn't been to a party in so long. Walking down the hallway to the front door of her apartment – their apartment, she reminded herself with a giddy little jump in her stomach – she could hear music coming from inside.

"All right, this is it!" she announced, beaming as she opened the door. Then her jaw almost fell open because she couldn't believe how many more people there were in the apartment than the amount that she had remembered inviting.

But, she thought as she slipped her jacket off, she still wasn't going to let that deter her mission. Which was to find Callie and dance badly with her and have a drink with her, in celebration of them living together in their own place. She just loved thinking about that, so much.

She spotted Callie in the living room, moving her hips with Addison, to a fast beat. Making her way over, her girlfriend's wide, dark eyes stared at her, and Arizona could tell even from a distance that Callie was just a little drunk.

Laughing at the way Callie stumbled just a bit in her haste to get to her, tan hands clumsily rested on her hips when she got close enough, "Arizona! You made it."

She could smell the tequila on her breath, and she thought she might have gotten just a little bit drunk from breathing in that air. But her girlfriend just was giving her the cutest lopsided smile, and she loved the way it made her feel. Like all of the stress and the exhaustion she'd accumulated in her last shift just melted away, "I told you I was going to try."

"I know," her voice dipped low, into a whisper, and she dipped her head, pressing their lips together.

Regardless of the alcohol on her breath, Arizona eagerly slipped her tongue into Callie's mouth, wanting to taste her after the thirty-six hour shift she'd just gotten off of. But before she could manage to stroke the brunette's tongue with hers, Callie pulled away, wide-eyed. Concerned, Arizona lifted her eyebrows, "What?"

Wordlessly, Callie took her hand and marched them out of the room, down the hall, to their closed bedroom door. As it closed behind them, making the music and the sound of all of the people that had come tonight quieter, muffled, Callie looked down at the ground, "Natalie kissed me."

Everything froze, and she zeroed in on her girlfriend's words, unable to hear anything going on beyond the room. Before she could even react, Callie frantically started gesturing, "I didn't kiss her back, I promise. And I pushed her away, because I don't want her. I didn't even invite her!"

Despite the anger and the jealousy and the… ugh, the thought that Natalie's lips had been against her girlfriends, she managed to not display it to her girlfriend, who was clearly panicking. Finally, she stepped closer, and grabbed those waving hands – Callie had reverted to speaking quickly in Spanish – she brought them down, "I'm not mad at you."

That Spanish ranting stopped, "You… you're not?"

"No," she shook her head. And it was the truth. Because she didn't actually believe Callie would do that to her, would cheat on her. She had hardly even spoken to Natalie, outside of their thesis group, since the summer. After a few deep breaths, she managed to bite back her bad feelings that she had, like the ones where she wanted to find a brick and hit Natalie over the head with it. "I mean, I won't deny that Natalie might not want to show me her face. But I don't think you led her on."

"Good! Because I didn't, promise. I was just trying to reach the chips, and then she was there, and her eyes just aren't blue like yours are blue, you know?" Callie rambled, then came to an abrupt stop, looking at her with imploring eyes.

She couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face, "Not blue like mine?"

Callie shook her head, "No. She's just… not you." In a move that was considerably smoother than what she thought her girlfriend was capable of at the moment, those caramel hands slid out from hers, and up to her face, then pulled her in for another kiss. This one was soft and sweet, just rubbing their lips together. Backing away, completely serious, she sighed, "And your lips are so much softer than hers. They're the softest things ever."

Amused, she lifted her eyebrow, "Oh yeah?"

The dark head nodded, "Yeah. They're like… like… flower petals and silk and marshmallow," she said, then let out a yawn, rubbing at her eyes, "Can I tell you something?"

"Mhmm," she responded, enjoying this intoxicated version of her girlfriend, running her hands down to curved hips.

"I'm tired. And I don't think partying is for me, anymore. You changed my sleeping schedule!" she accused, pointing her finger at the blonde's chest before yawning again.

Arizona looked at the bed a few feet away, "Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Hmm," Callie nodded, and let her head fall to the blonde's shoulder, "But I don't want to be that loser who goes to bed at my own party. Who does that?"

Chuckling, she skimmed her lips down, pressing them to her girlfriend's hair, "It's okay. I'll just tell people you didn't feel well, and I'll get Tim to help me clean up, and when everything's all set I'll come in and join you."

Callie sighed and nodded against her, "Okay. Yeah. That sounds good. Don't leave the room yet, don't go back out to the party. Just wait a second."

Instead of waiting a second, she waited for about five minutes, while her girlfriend disappeared into the bathroom adjoined to their bathroom. She emerged in her bra and underwear, teeth brushed, and she took Arizona's hand as she headed towards the bed.

Gamely, she pulled back the comforter for her girlfriend to climb in. What used to be only Callie's bed was now their bed. They'd compromised on a lot on the furniture pieces they would use in the apartment, but the bed was not even a question. Sure, her old one was fine. Comfortable. But Callie's was like heaven.

Her girlfriend looked up at her as she settled into the sheets, "Do you know what I was thinking about?" When Arizona looked at her, waiting for an answer, she said, "I think we should hook up Rachel and Natalie."

A laugh broke out from her throat, "Because they're both jealous and hold onto things for so long?" Actually, now that she thought about it, it was perfect.

"I was thinking because they're both the B-List versions of us, but… yours works, too," her girlfriend replied, turning onto her side while they both giggled a little bit.

Callie snuggled in, and Arizona tucked the blanket around her, laughing when those dark eyes sought hers out, "I'm so lame."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she slid her hand into dark hair, stroking through the soft locks, "Yeah, maybe. Sometimes. But so am I. And honestly, now that we've had this apartment-warming party, we really won't have to throw another one. Right?"

Callie's eyes fluttered closed, "Right." She turned her face into the pillow and breathed in, looking up with a smile, "I love the way you smell. And even though it's only been a week since we moved in, I love living with you."

"Me, too," she whispered, leaning down and pressing her lips against Callie's forehead, her hand stroking that thick hair as her girlfriend's breath evened out. She continued the stroking for a few minutes, even as Callie slept next to her.

She wished the party wasn't going on at all, and she wished she could climb into bed with her girlfriend right now without worrying about getting everyone on their way. Standing with a sigh, she stretched. Well, she guessed she had some work to do out there.

* * *

It wasn't for another hour and a half that she and Tim had ushered all of the remaining celebrators, the last two in the apartment being Ben Spencer and Girlfriend Sarah. They spent another hour after that with the music in the background changed to a station of jazz that their parents had often played when they were growing up, buzzing low around them while they cleaned up the apartment.

Callie had worked for hours to make the place spotless in preparation for the party, and Arizona knew she hadn't expected it to turn out the way it did, she thought, dropping the last of the red solo cups there was in an open garbage bag her brother was holding open for her. And besides, Callie had gotten everything ready in preparation for the party, so it was only a fair trade off that she took care of the remnants of it.

"Thanks for helping me clean up," she told her brother, as he held open the door to the dumpster on the side of the building for her and she threw in the bag she was carrying. The best brother in the world, she was convinced of it.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she yawned – it was nearing one in the morning, which was a lot later than she usually stayed up unless she was at the hospital. "When are you headed back to the hotel?" She asked him, yawning again in the middle of the sentence, fantasizing about lying in bed with her girlfriend.

"Soon," he assured her, opening the front door to the building, "Sorry to keep you up, but I'll be out of your hair soon, I swear," he sent her a grin, an irresistible one to anyone, even at times his sister and parents who had all known the power of that smile since he was too young to even remember using his charm to his advantage.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she stuck out her tongue, "Oh yeah, because it's such a hardship to have to hang out with you, because I see you so often."

He laughed, just a little bit, "Yeah, well, I know that in the scheme of your life at one in the morning you would rather be in bed with Callie than talking to me. Not that I can blame you," he winked at her, making her laugh even as she punched him in the shoulder.

"Well, I think I can sacrifice some snuggling time to talk to you just this once, especially when you're leaving tomorrow," she teased, confused when he led her to the elevator instead of the stairs, "I live on the second floor, you know. Come on bro, have you gone soft on me? You take the stairs up to the fifth and sixth floors of places!"

As he hit the button for the top floor, he lifted his eyebrow at her, "I mean, I know I could make it up the forty flights of stairs, but I'm just worried that your poor little heart wouldn't be able to take it."

Offended, she smacked him in the arm again, "Hey asshole, I could definitely have made it upstairs. And probably beat you up there, too. You're all about weight lifting, I'm the cardio in our family."

Because he knew it would bother her, he simply gave in, "Mhmm, right." He offered her his arm for her to hit again, but she just turned her head up at it.

"I will not stoop to such a predictable level!" and it was perfect timing too, as the elevator doors slid open and she sailed out.

He led them to the door at the very end of the hallway, which she opened with her key. This was one of the huge bonuses about their current building – the roof. There was roof access, and an incredible view of the city from it. As they walked over the gravel, shifting under each of their steps, he led her over to the edge, bracing his palms on it and breathing in deeply, "This is a really great place, Bug."

Feeling a smile tug at her lips, she looked out at the city lights sprawled out like intricately designed stars all around, she nodded, "I know. This place is amazing. The fact that we were able to get it was practically a miracle."

For a moment, he tapped his fingers against the marble under his hands on the ledge, before clarifying, "I didn't just mean… the place _is_ great. But it's everything. You're rocking it at the hospital and you've got this great new apartment with your smart, gorgeous girlfriend. This is a great place, like, in your life," he explained his meaning, turning his head slightly, their blue eyes connecting.

Confusion swirled inside of her, even as she smiled at him, "I know. It took a lot longer than I had expected it to," they simultaneously rolled their eyes at each other, thinking of Joanne and how she had thought she knew what happiness was when she'd been with her, way back when. "But it's so much better now. I didn't… I didn't even imagine it could be this great." _This_ meaning life itself.

"Best apartment in Boston, best hospital for you to work at, and the best girlfriend in the world," he threw at her with a smile.

And it was all true, she thought, as the best kind of warmth settled throughout her body. Crossing her arms to ward off the late night chill in the air, she gave him the same confused look, "My life is pretty great… but so is yours. Mom told me about how you're in line to get promoted again, Gunnery Sergeant Robbins," she nudged him with her shoulder.

His cheeks faintly tinged pink, "It's not set in stone…"

"But it's _awesome_," she turned to face him, quietly saying, "I'm so proud of you. And so are mom and dad. It's great, Tim."

A slow smile spread across his face, "It is pretty awesome." He turned to mirror her, still leaning against the ledge with one hand, "That kind of leads me into what I wanted to talk to you about… I didn't just come up to visit to help you guys with the move."

Her stomach sank as her eyes searched his face. All of the sudden, she felt like she knew where this was going.

And then he confirmed it, "I'm getting deployed again in a little over a week. My promotion is pending with my deployment. So, you know, I just wanted to tell you in person. And say goodbye."

Because you never know, the words hung between them, as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, holding tightly, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. His arms came to band around her, "I'm going to be fine, Bug. We both know that."

"Yeah, I know," she whispered unintentionally, because her throat felt too tight for words to properly come out.

Even though she didn't want to let go, she forced herself to step back and look her brother in the eye, making sure to keep in any tears or sniffling that wanted to come out. Robbins were built to stay strong, especially in the face of things like this. Deployment and war were just facts of life to a military family. And she'd known that Tim would be deployed again.

And there was that part of her, that part that was bred to be proud of him. She was so, so proud of him, for honoring their country this way, loving it the way their father had raised them to. But there was always that sneaking feeling that even though she was proud of him, there was just that little part of her that wished he would do as the Colonel did and request to maintain a position in a home office instead of out in the field of duty.

Then again, the Colonel didn't even do that until long after he had a wife and two kids to come home to. And Tim didn't have that; Tim _loved_ being on active duty. It was why he became a marine. So she forced a smile onto her face, "You're going to be awesome, as always. And then you're going to get your promotion. No one deserves it more."

He simply kept his arm wrapped around her shoulder and turned them to look out at the city once more, "I love you, Bug."

"I love you too."

She didn't let him go for nearly another hour, despite her exhaustion. Finally, when she did, she watched him walk away until she couldn't see him anymore. When she locked the apartment door behind her, she made a beeline for her bed, pulling on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, both Callie's even though that didn't really matter anymore because the smell of Callie was always in their shared bed, and she didn't need the clothes or the sheets to smell like her girlfriend when she had the real thing cuddling with her.

Her girlfriend was snoring softly, and the sound soothed her just slightly, as she pulled down the comforter and scooted in onto her side, sliding backwards until her butt pressed against Callie's hips, and her back molded against the brunette's front. As soon as she felt Callie's arm instinctively wrap around her waist, as soon as she felt like she was in that secure, strong hold, her throat felt like it was doing that closing thing again.

Even though she closed her eyes tightly, tears still dripped between the closed lids, and soon those few tears turned into something stronger. She thought she was controlling it enough, until that symphonic snoring abruptly stopped and the hand that was pressed against her bare stomach slowly flexed against her.

That voice, huskier with sleep than it usually was, "Arizona? What's – what's wrong?"

Sniffling quickly, she brought up her hands, wiping at her eyes, and fought to make her voice sound normal again, "Nothing. I'm fine."

But she couldn't even fool herself, and she definitely wasn't fooling Callie, who slid her hand up to her hip as Arizona felt her adjust behind her, and then she felt those dark eyes scanning her face, "Sweetie, you're obviously not."

Taking in a deep breath, she turned to lie on her back, looking up into her girlfriend's concerned face, "Tim's being deployed again," and just saying the words made fresh tears spring to her eyes. Hastily bringing her hands up to rub at her eyes, she shook her head against the pillow, "I-it's stupid. He's been deployed three times before and he's always fine. He knows what he's doing, and… I'm being stupid," her voice broke on the word.

Because even though she'd gone through this so many times before in her life, with her dad and then Tim, she couldn't help but picture the way they would come to your door to tell you your loved one died. Of the many funerals she'd seen and attended for other families on all the different bases, the way they folded up that flag and handed it to you, and you held on tightly, because it was the last thing you would ever get from your loved one.

Those long, capable fingers came up, swiping over her face, collecting the dumb tears she couldn't get to stop, before going back down and wrapping her arms around her waist. She managed to turn them, so Arizona's face was pressed against the warm skin of her chest. She pressed in as close as she could manage, breathing in Callie, as her hands rubbed up and down her back in circles, "It's not stupid. So, Tim has been deployed before and he knows what he's doing. But it's still scary. And you have every right to be afraid."

Her hands came up to clutch at the Latina's hips, digging into smooth skin, "I'm sorry for crying all over you."

"You don't have to apologize for that, ever. That's why I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," she whispered the words into the night.

Arizona felt calmed by the words, even though she couldn't exactly tell why. She just needed everything to be okay, and somehow, Callie could make it seem like everything was. And even when it wasn't, she could still make her feel so much better.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Seriously, I love everyone who takes the time to let me know what you're thinking. Thank you so much for reading!**


	42. Call It

"And what is this room?" Callie asked with a sly grin on her face, pointing her thumb in the direction of the on-call room on the third floor. She'd come by the hospital almost an hour ago, after she'd gotten out of her classes for the day, and brought her girlfriend a late lunch while she was at it.

Arizona was working a forty-eight hour shift, and it was in day two, and the two of them hadn't spoken, outside of sporadic texting, since her shift started. The blonde had eaten the meal she'd brought so fast it seemed like she was inhaling it, moaning her appreciation because she hadn't had a moment to stop running around to eat in over forty hours.

Her girlfriend didn't pick up on the vibe she was trying to throw out there and she just lifted an eyebrow, "Calliope, this is the on-call room. You know, where uncomfortable beds look like heaven on earth after you don't get to sleep for days? You've done enough clinical rotations here to know that," she finished, her voice confused.

Managing to keep the smile that wanted to come up on her face off, she simple nodded, "Oh, right, I know that. But I've never been inside of one."

Blue eyes rolled, "Believe me, you don't want to. They're like closets with cots stuck in them. Come on, I want to show you the spot on the next floor that Alex and I found where we can hang out and do research uninterrupted. Ben Spencer hasn't discovered it yet."

Before Arizona could walk away, she reached out her hand, catching the blonde's in it before she could walk away, "I just want to see inside real quick."

Seeing an exasperated Arizona was quickly making its way to the top of the most adorable faces her girlfriend could make list, "Fine, you weirdo." Reaching out, she opened the door widely, and stepped in, turning on the light. Putting on her best tour guide voice, she gestured around, "This is the third floor on-call room where doctors come to grab as much sleep as possible before their pagers will wake them up."

"Mhmm," she hummed back, looking over her shoulder to see that there was no one coming down the hallway before she followed the blonde inside, leaning down to whisper into her ear, "You know what I've heard about this on-call room? That it's special."

"What?" Arizona asked, and she started to turn, but Callie reached her hands out, resting them on her hips, stopping her from moving. Then she wrapped one arm around the blonde's hips to hold her in place.

Reaching her other arm behind her, she closed the door, whispering, "There's a lock on the door," as she simultaneously flicked it closed.

Dawning set in as that blonde head laid back on her shoulder and wide blue eyes looked up at her, "Calliope, you can't… I can't… we're in the hospital. I work here! Not in the on-call room. No."

Tugging her closer with the arm around her waist, she pressed herself against that incredibly firm, round, perfect butt, letting out a small groan against Arizona's ear before moving her lips against the shell of it, "Come on. I've done clinical rotations here. I hear things about these on-call rooms," she trailed off, flicking her tongue out and drawing it down her girlfriend's ear before sucking on the lobe gently, then blowing air onto it.

Arizona had left her in a permanently wet state since almost two days ago, when she'd left their apartment to go to the hospital. She closed her eyes, clit already throbbing with the memory of how her girlfriend's hand had been working between her legs, teasing her, before she'd realized what time it was and that her shift at the hospital started in less than a half hour. Then she'd jumped out of bed to get ready, while Callie had been so lost in how turned on she was that she didn't realize what was going on until the blonde was already out of the bed and dressed.

Arizona's breath shuddered out and her protest was much weaker now, as Callie could see goose bumps on her skin, "I – it's not… people could hear us. We're not good at b-being quiet!" she finished on a yelp as Callie sank her teeth into the skin right under her ear.

But she pulled back, conscious of leaving a visible mark, swiping her tongue over the area, "We'll be quick and quiet." Even though she knew Arizona was already weakening, she went in for the kill shot, "I've been needing you to touch me since we last saw each other. I was so ready to come, and then you just up and left."

Arizona's mouth was open, as she took in a trembling breath, her voice low – the register it only ever got to when she was aroused, "I had work."

Walking backwards, she spun, pressing the blonde against the door then pressing herself against her, "And I had to get myself off."

Kicking her girlfriend's legs apart, she pressed hers in between, scooping blonde waves out of the way, pressing her lips to the back of Arizona's neck, the whimper that left the blonde's lips driving her crazy, "You did?"

Thrusting her leg up, Arizona first moved up with her, going to her tip toes out of reflex before grinding herself down. Scraping her teeth against smooth, pale skin, she shuddered, remembering rubbing her own fingers over her clit, "Yes."

She slid her hand from being wrapped around Arizona's waist, down dipping into the waistband of her scrubs, her fingers moving even lower, rubbing over her girlfriend through her underwear. As Arizona gasped, wiggling her hips into the touch, she turned her head so blue eyes could seek out brown ones, "How was it?"

Pulling aside the fabric, she used one finger to tease, sliding along the blonde's slit, instinctively rocking her hips against Arizona's ass, trying to find some relief for herself in the process. Her finger slipped inside easily, coated with wetness, "Does the thought of me touching myself make you this wet?"

She nodded, her head knocking against the door as one of her hands slid down, holding onto Callie's wrist, making her stay where she was inside of her, "Uh, yessss," she hissed as Callie curled her finger. Sucking in some air, she pressed her hot face against the door, "How was it? When you fucked yourself?"

Enjoying the feeling of her girlfriend's walls grasping around her, she slowly slid out and brought her finger up to circle her bundle of nerves, "Actually, it wasn't that good."

Changing the pace, circling faster, Arizona's hips jumped backwards into hers, making her moan as she started rocking consistently, her own body wanting her girlfriend's fingers on her, in her, while the blonde panted, "No?"

"Nope," pulling her hand out of the blonde's underwear, she moved to her hips, turning her around, wanting to see how dark those blue eyes had gotten, to taste those pink lips that were parted as the blonde tried to take in as much air as possible. Bringing her mouth in, her tongue darted out to taste Arizona's bottom lip, before she whispered, "I used to be able to touch myself and it would be just fine. But now that I know what it's like to have your hands on me, that I know how it feels to come from you, I can't really satisfy myself the way I need to be satisfied."

Before she could register what had happened, Arizona had reversed their positions, and she grunted as her back slammed into the door all of her breath leaving her body, while she felt Arizona's hand slide under her shirt, immediately seeking out her chest, flexing over the cup of her bra.

A hot mouth attached itself to her neck, as her girlfriend whispered, "Why don't you let me satisfy you then?"

Swallowing hard, all she could do was nod. Her knees already felt too weak to hold her up, and she knew without a doubt that her panties were ruined, but god, she didn't care, she just wanted Arizona's hands on her. Being dominant over Arizona, having her at her will made her hot, but being trapped between her girlfriend and the wall, completely at her mercy was enough to make her want to come on the spot.

That one dexterous hand had already unbuttoned her pants and slipped inside, dipping inside the top of her underwear, pausing for only a few seconds to tease at dark curls, before rubbing over her clit. "God, yes," she hissed, her hips jumping forward, seeking the feeling she'd needed for days.

Arizona's fingers moved at a harsh, fast pace that she managed to keep up with until she felt her orgasm barreling toward her, and she lost all semblance of a rhythm. "I'm so, so c-close," she managed to gasp, even though she didn't know why, when she knew that Arizona knew her body enough to know when she was close.

Then, just as her toes started to curl, her muscles tense, Arizona's hand was gone. Breathing rapidly, she blinked her eyes open to see why Arizona had stopped unable to ask because words escaped her at the moment.

"Bed," Arizona got out, practically dragging Callie to the small on-call room bed, pushing her down so that Callie bounced slightly, while the blonde reached down and tugged on the pants and underwear tangle that had fallen to her knees, her breathing heavy. Finally, when they were off she tossed them behind her, and practically jumped back onto the Latina's long, straining for release body.

Yes, yes, yes, Arizona thought, running her hand down, going back to its place between Callie's legs and moving quickly, before slipping two fingers inside, which she was unable to do in their previous position. And she really wanted to feel her girlfriend clench around her when she came, which wasn't going to be that far off.

And when she felt it start to happen again, she stopped, grinning at those dark, blurry eyes that snapped open once more, as Callie's guttural voice drove right into her, making her clench even tighter, "Arizona… why… I need to… please, baby."

Instead of giving in right away, she stood, shedding her scrubs pants and boy shorts, throwing them to join Callie's on the other side of the room, before she climbed back onto the bed, straddling a long, tan thigh. Taking a hold on her girlfriend's hand, she lifted herself, and placed it on the wet skin she'd just left. Callie's long fingers curled upwards, and she lowered herself back down, her head falling back on her shoulders on a moan.

After thrusting herself down a few times, she brought her hand back between caramel thighs, resuming the fast rhythm she'd started before. Every time she lifted her hips, she withdrew her hand, and they continued to move quicker and quicker, until Callie scissored her fingers inside of her, and the motion surprised her.

Tumbling forward, falling against Callie, pressing her face against her neck, she tried to control the orgasm hurdling her way, but then Callie moved her fingers in that incredible way again, and she couldn't stop herself. Biting her teeth into that smooth skin, she came against her girlfriend in a rush, continuing to move her hand against the brunette, until a loud cry left those plump lips, and she felt those walls clamp around her, holding her in place.

Sighing contentedly, she slipped her fingers out of her girlfriend, then lifted her hips so Callie could do the same. Falling on top of her, she breathed in her smell, "I wish the whole hospital could smell like you," she whispered, then yawned, "I needed that."

"I know," Callie responded, sliding her hand under Arizona's shirt and splaying it over her lower back, "You've been so busy you could barely text since your shift started."

She nodded, blue eyes closing, "I've pretty much been fantasizing about being in bed with you since I left. Not exactly like this, but…" she trailed off while Callie laughed under her, before she continued, "But, god, you wouldn't believe what I've been doing. I was working the ER when I started my shift, and this boy came in. So –"

Cutting her off was the loud beeping from her pager where it was still clipped to her discarded pants. Groaning, she rolled off Callie's body, and the brunette felt the chill in the air hit her. She'd been pushing her luck hoping for them to get in a nap, as well as their lunch and sex. Two out of three isn't bad, she thought with a smile. But she could see how tired Arizona was, so she'd just wanted…

Ah, well. Pushing herself up, she watched as her girlfriend picked up her pants to look at the page, then as the small post-sex smile that had been on her face completely disappear, as she quickly searched for her underwear, pulling them on, muttering, "Crap, crap, crap."

Pushing herself up, she bent down to hand Arizona the boy shorts she was looking for, before reaching to pull on her own, "What's wrong?"

Slim hands pulled on scrub pants, before reaching up to tie back her hair into a quick ponytail, jumping up and forward to press a smacking kiss against Callie's lips, "My patient, I have to go. I'll see you tonight. Love you," she called over her shoulder as she unlocked and opened the door, running out of it.

The blonde was gone before she could say anything back. Quickly zipping up her pants, buttoning them, she left the room. Arizona was already long gone.

* * *

Inside, she was panicking. Her heart was racing and she felt nauseous, but her hands were steady and her mind was clear, and she was going to be able to do this… "Clear!" She called out, rubbing the gel on the defibrillator paddles to spread it before shocking the body of the sixteen-year-old.

Her eyes flashed to the monitor that was still flat lining right next to the head of the bed, and she shook her head, closing her eyes just briefly, before calling out, "Charge to 1600!"

When that didn't work, she handed the paddles off and stepped forward, putting one hand over the other and locking her fingers together, pressing down on his chest, desperately muttering with each time she pushed, "Do not die on me. Come on, come on, come on."

The hospital room was silent, until she heard Rachel's voice coming from behind her, "Robbins, he's dead. You need to call it."

Quickly shaking her head, she bit her lip, gloved hands covered him blood continuing her chest compressions, "No, he's – he's fine. He'll be fine."

A hand came up to rest on her shoulder, making her jump, but she kept her eyes on the heart monitor, clenching her jaw tightly, determined that he was going to wake up. He would. She just had to… to keep going. He was only sixteen and he was in recovery from a surgery that she had assisted in last night, and the surgery went really well. This just wasn't possible.

Then the resident's hands came to rest over hers, stilling them, her voice low in her ear, "Robb – Arizona. He's gone. You need to call it."

Anger welled up inside of her as she pulled her hands away, turning her head to make eye contact with eye behind those glasses, "He – I…" but she had nothing left to say, because Rachel was right. The boy, Connor, had been coding for almost ten minutes, and throughout the whole time, there hadn't been any hint of response from him or his monitors.

Stepping back, she snapped off her gloves and looked up at the clock, "Time of death four forty three pm."

She couldn't stop herself from taking one last look at his face, his lifeless face that was just so pale. And she'd never felt like such a failure before in her entire life. As the other medical professionals in the room started to move about, she turned and left because she just couldn't stand to be in there anymore. Her stomach felt like it was revolting against her and the delicious lunch Callie had made her suddenly seemed like it was turning on her.

Then there were two hands on her shoulders, and Rachel's voice from a few feet in front of her, "Hey, are you all right?"

With a few deep breaths, she managed to calm down and look forward, clenching her hands into two fists, "I, um, yeah." Another breath, "I'm fine."

Rachel regarded her strangely, "Are you sure? Wait, was this the first time you've had to call time of death?"

Nodding her head lightly, she looked down, "I mean… I've called it before. Dr. Andreas had me call it in the operating room when I was assisting, but Aidan was the first time I've called when… at my own hands. He died at my hands," she muttered, looking at them for once as if they were foreign objects.

Her resident put her hands on her hips, "We're surgeons. There are going to be a lot more people who die at your hands, and it is always going to feel terrible. But you did everything you could have, Robbins. You have to believe that."

But she shook her head, because Hayden just wasn't understanding… it wasn't just in that room. When Aidan, the sixteen-year-old who was lying dead only feet away, had come in to the ER only minutes after her shift had started two days ago, she was the only available doctor and he was crashing. She'd performed an on the spot, unsupervised surgery on him, and he'd lived. And because of that, the trauma attending, Dr. Mason, had let her take the reins on Aidan's surgery last night, and again on the follow up one this morning.

Whatever had gone wrong wasn't because of another doctor who had messed up, and she had to call it for them, for experience. No. Aidan had died because of something she did in surgery. Her fault.

But she didn't say that, and she spoke as if the guilt inside of her wasn't making her want to vomit and cry at the same time, "Okay. Sure."

She obviously wasn't convincing, because Rachel still stood there, watching her as if waiting for her to break down in tears. But she wasn't going to do that – couldn't do that – in front of her. Finally, the brunette let out a sigh, shaking her head lightly, "Well, if you're sure, then it's up to you to tell his parents."

Oh, god. Keeping her spine stiff and straight, she nodded, "Right. I can do that. They're… they were in the second floor waiting room," she whispered, mostly to herself, before turning away from the resident and walking down the hallway, all of her muscles feeling stiff.

How could she look his parents in the eye and tell them that their son was dead? After she'd just spoken to them earlier today and told them that he was fine and that he's made it through surgery with flying colors? Just the thought of it made her stomach churn to violently she had to turn into the closest restroom.

* * *

Callie hummed to herself in the kitchen, as she put the finishing touches on her chicken piccata. It was what she could make the best and Arizona's favorite food that she made – not that her girlfriend was picky, given that she often proclaimed that everything she cooked was amazing. She could make grilled cheese and the blonde would commend her, she thought with a small laugh.

But after she'd gotten back from the hospital a few hours ago, after watching her girlfriend rush off to deal with whatever it was that she was going to deal with, she'd come back to their apartment. And not an hour later, Arizona had called her. She hadn't been in tears or anything, and she insisted that she was fine, but Callie could tell something was off.

So tonight, they would have her favorite dinner then Callie would put in a Disney movie that she still got amused by, knowing that her horror movies were interspersed with kids classics. And she knew that with a little snuggling, her girlfriend would fall asleep, exhausted, before the movie was over.

As she heard the front door open and close, then footsteps trudge in her direction, she could already tell whatever it was that was weighing on her girlfriend earlier was still there. There was a slight pause, and she could hear the shuffling that told her Arizona was pausing at the hall closet to take off her jacket and hang up her hospital backpack, before she resumed walking in her direction.

The dark circles under Arizona's eyes seemed to be very prominent now, and her face was suck in a frown, even as she moved her eyes over the dinner, candles, and Callie, who they stopped on. She tried to give her a small smile, "Hey. You made dinner."

Narrowing her eyes, taking in the blonde, she walked forward, lifting her hand to cup her girlfriend's cheek, "What's wrong?"

A slim shoulder shrugged, "Nothing. I-I'm fine." Scoffing, she crossed her arms, looking down at Arizona with narrowed eyes, which prompted her to sigh and pale hands came up to rub at her eyes, "Okay, I'm not fine. But I don't want to talk about it right now. All I've done is talk about it for the last few hours and I need to be distracted. Talk to me."

She could clearly see the blonde's resolve to stay strong and she tentatively ran her hands up her arms, landing on her shoulders, "Can I give you a hug? Not because you're sad or anything, but because we didn't get to cuddle today afterwards, and I just want to greet you properly."

Even though blue eyes looked at her like they knew she was only going in for a hug because Arizona looked like she really needed one, she gave a small nod, then practically pitched forward, melting against Callie. Pressing her nose down, she inhaled her girlfriend's shampoo – which was now both of their shampoo – while her arms slid around her waist, pulling her impossibly tighter against her, while Arizona's wrapped around her waist and her fingers dug nearly painfully into Callie's hips.

But she didn't say anything, because it also made her feel good, in a strange way. Like the blonde needed to hold onto her, too, like she needed to be held. And unlike a usual hug, she didn't let go. Swaying lightly from side to side, she whispered, "Are you sure you don't want to tell me about it?"

A few seconds of silence ticked by before Arizona spoke, her voice low and raw, like she'd already cried for a long time, "When I got paged earlier, it was for this – this boy, Aidan Pierce. He was the reason I was so busy this whole shift. He, um, he just got his license, and he got hit by a drunk driver and came into the ER at the beginning of my shift."

Those hands that had been digging into her dropped, and Arizona stepped back, her eyebrows drawn down low. Callie didn't have a chance to say anything before her girlfriend started to pace back and forth, hands on hips, "He came in and I fixed his collapsed lung and – I performed a surgery on him. Dr. Mason oversaw, but I did it with my own hands, and he died. And I've spent all day trying to go over, step by step, what I did wrong? I must have done something wrong, because he died. I killed him."

Those eyes snapped to hers, and she could practically feel the guilty Arizona was feeling. Reaching out to stop the pacing, she pulled her to a stop, "Arizona, listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not a doctor yet, but… people die. Even if you did everything right, he still could have died."

Her girlfriends hands flipped, so their fingers could lock together, and they both held tightly, "I had to tell his parents. I've never had to… they were the first parents I've ever had to tell that their kid died. And it was _fucking_ awful, Calliope. They cried so much and I felt like I was singlehandedly breaking them."

The blonde's pain was so palpable that she felt like she hurt too, and she didn't have any words, because she felt like… Arizona was right. "Well, in a way, you were breaking them. You had to tell them their child died," she said slowly, but held tight when Arizona tried to pull away, "But I didn't say that was your fault. Because it wasn't. You ran to his room when you got that page, and you did everything you could, okay?"

Her girlfriend let out a deep breath, and closed her eyes, briefly dropping her head to Callie's shoulder once more, "I feel like I'm a failure," and her voice was the smallest she'd ever heard it.

"You are _not_ a failure. You are brilliant and talented," she whispered, pressing a light kiss against her ear after.

Arizona took one more second resting her head against her shoulder, then stood up straight, biting her lip, "They try to tell us in school how much it sucks to lose a patient… but I just wasn't prepared."

Taking her hand, she led her to the table, "I can imagine. And I'm positive you're going to have to be there for me when it happens to me next year."

"And I will be," she collapsed into the chair, closing her eyes and tipping back her head, "How can just talking to you about my problems make me feel better?"

Smiling, she poured a glass of white wine and put it in front of her, "Because I'm magical. And you do the same magic for me, which is why we work."

Even though those blue eyes were still tired, and she was still so weary, she gave a small smile that was genuine this time, "I guess so. Now, I'm not going to let this chicken go to waste, and I want you to distract me so I can think about something – anything else."

Pulling out her own chair, she waited until Arizona took a few bites first before asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

As she picked up her glass of wine, she gestured in a circle, "I don't know, anything you want. Tell me about your day."

"I got my midterm grade back!" she remembered, scowling slightly, "I got a ninety eight. Two points off for stupid little bullshit…"

Arizona's laugh drew her attention and for the first time tonight, her eyes sparkled in amusement, "You're quite possibly the only person I know who gets upset getting a ninety eight! That's amazing. Was it the one for Carter?"

Still feeling disappointed in herself – two points for stupid mistakes – she stabbed her fork at her plate, "Yeah."

"Calliope. Stop. Two points away from a perfect score for Carter still makes you practically a genius," her girlfriend rolled her eyes at her.

"Yeah, yeah… oh, and I talked to your parents a few hours ago," she said, watching Arizona slowly look up at her, a small smile on her face even as she shook her head, "Hey, your mom called me! Christmas is in just over a month, and she wanted to know our plans."

She watched for Arizona's reaction, but her girlfriend just kept eating before she realized that Callie wasn't saying anything, then she looked up, "And you told her…?"

Feeling ridiculously warm inside, she felt a smile pull up on her lips, "Um, I wasn't sure. There are a few options. I've, well, I've never made holiday plans with an "us." But, you want to?"

Arizona's eyebrows drew together in confusion as she looked up, "I just assumed we would… but we don't have to," she bit her lip, waiting for Callie's response.

But her smile just got bigger, "No, we're definitely spending them together. I didn't want to assume, just because we live together and all, but I'm glad. I need your input, though, because, well, my dad invited me – us – to my parent's house in Miami."

"Do you want to go? I have three days off before January," Arizona said, easily, but her eyes watched Callie's reaction.

"I want to go," she admitted, because she really, really did. She'd missed all of her family holidays last year, and she wanted to go again, "But your parents also invited us to Christmas at their house. Or they said that they could spend a few days up here so you wouldn't have to take all the time off."

Her girlfriend nodded, "Why don't we have my parents come up the week before Christmas for a few days, then we can go see your family for a few days?"

It was that easy, she thought, and she reached one of her hands under the table, seeking out Arizona's, "You're the best. Did you know that?"

"You're just lucky I love you so much that I'm willing to give up having snow on my favorite holiday to go to Miami," a blue eye winked at her while her fingers laced together.

Chuckling a little bit, she rubbed her thumb along the back of that soft hand, "But you'll be able to see me in a bikini, so it's a fair trade, right?"

"I suppose," she mused, then grinned, "I'm excited for our first Christmas together."

"Me, too."

* * *

**Please let me know your thoughts and opinions! I'm going to start intermittently skipping larger amounts of time in the story, preparing to wrap it up in the next 20 chapters or so, but I want to write longer into their lives, so those 20 or so chapters are going to span a few years. Thank you all for your feedback so far, it's incredible and you are all amazing. Thank you for reading!**


	43. Tabling the Discussion

Finally, Callie thought, slowly closing her portfolio. Her thesis was completely done. It had been reviewed by her advisor and by her peers – she'd had Arizona read it and discuss it with her countless times – and it was _perfect_. At the beginning of next semester, her last semester in medical school, she would have to complete her thesis defense to the department. And now that she was finished, she was all ready for break to start.

"Hey, Callie?" A timid voice came from above her, which she recognized as Natalie's.

They hadn't really spoken since the house warming party back in the beginning of October, and after that kiss, Natalie had stopped coming to thesis design. The only time being a few days after the party, when Natalie had apologized profusely for doing it and promised that she wasn't even going to talk to Callie again.

And she hadn't, until now. Before Callie could say anything to her, Natalie had pulled out the chair at the table adjacent to hers, to avoid getting any more strange looks from the people around them in the library, "I just wanted to say, thanks for all the help you gave me in the beginning of the year on my thesis. And I know I said I wasn't going to talk to you again, after I kissed you, but I just finished my thesis and there was a point when I didn't even think I'd get this far – thank you," she cut herself off, blushing lightly.

Leaning back in her chair, she tapped her hands on her lap, giving the other woman a small smile, "You're welcome. And I've completely forgiven you, for the kiss." To be honest, she forgot about it. Natalie just wasn't… spectacular to her. A nice, pretty, smart girl, but she was no Arizona Robbins. But she wasn't going to stoop down low and tell her that she hadn't really thought the kiss was anything.

The skinnier woman breathed out a sigh of relief, "Good. Because you should know, that I am really completely over you. I mean, we went on one date. Over a year ago. And I held on to it for way too long, I just – ah, I'm rambling. But I did – do – like you, as a friend."

Smiling a little, she shifted forward, "I think you could be a good friend, too. As long as there's no more kissing or any funny business."

Natalie shook her head fast, "No. Absolutely not, ever. But could you… you know, pass the word on to Arizona that I'm over you? Because after your party, I kind of expected her to, um, come after me? And no matter when I see her, since then… your girlfriend scares me," she admitted in one fast exhale.

She couldn't stop the laugh that came out of her mouth, "Arizona scares you?" In her head, she just pictured her slim, blonde girlfriend the last time she'd seen her – before her last shift – as she'd been trying to make Christmas cookies, with a pout on her face. Then again, she thought about seeing angry Arizona, and she shrugged, "I guess sometimes she can be a little fierce."

Natalie's eyes opened comically wide, "A little? Callie, I guess you can't really understand because you don't have a third party seat to your relationship, but the second someone else looks at you the wrong way, she is downright terrifying."

She could imagine it. And she knew that Arizona still didn't like Natalie, at all. Not that she could blame her, because if Rachel had kissed Arizona, even if her girlfriend pushed her away and completely forgot about it, she would really dislike Rachel. Not that she was a fan of the resident now… "How would you feel about letting me set you up?"

Natalie opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking uncertain, before leaning back in her chair, "I don't know. I kind of try to avoid that whole – I know a lesbian, and you're a lesbian, so why don't you two lesbians get together – type scene."

Lifting an eyebrow, she nudged her shoulder with her own, "Come on. She's a smart, pretty brunette – just your type," she joked, making Natalie laugh. Before she could respond, Callie's phone started ringing.

Quickly picking it up and answering before she could get too many dirty looks from the people surrounding them, she spoke into the receiver, "Hello, beautiful. Did you pick your parents up from the airport yet?" she asked, checking the time. The parents Robbins were going to be arriving for their two day visit any minute now.

Arizona's voice was frantic, "I – no, that's why I'm calling. Karev offered to cover a few of my hours tomorrow night if I finished up some charts for him, and now my parents are supposed to be here, and I'm not at the airport to get them –"

She cut her girlfriend off, "No problem, I can pick them up. I'm on my way now. Meet us at the apartment?"

"Absolutely! I should be done here soon. You're amazing," she said, and Callie could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'll see you soon," she responded, hanging up the phone, looking back at the clock for a second and rushing to put her stuff in her bag, "Sorry, Natalie, but Arizona's parents are… well, their plane probably already landed, so I really have to go."

Natalie stood with her, "It's fine. You know, I could tell it was Arizona as soon as you saw who was calling. Your face gets this expression on it, and it – well, up until a few months ago, for me, it sucked. I wanted you to forget Arizona and look at me with that expression. But now that I don't want to – er, want you," she closed her eyes, cheeks turning even deeper red, "It's kind of nice to see that." As they walked toward the door, Natalie sighed, "Okay, why don't you give me this woman's number. Who is she?"

She grinned in triumph, "Her name is Rachel. Dr. Rachel Hayden, actually. She works with Arizona at Mass Gen. I'll text you her number."

They parted ways and she rushed back to the apartment as fast as she could, because she needed to get her keys in order to drive to the airport and pick up the Robbins'. She ran so fast up the stairs she nearly tripped, because she knew without a doubt that their flight had landed over a half hour ago.

Gasping for breath as she reached the top, her eyes widened as she saw the older couple in front of their apartment door, "Y-you're already here? I was coming to pick you up, and – you didn't call."

Daniel shrugged, "We had the address, and we know you're both busy. Figured we'd save you some trouble."

"Arizona called and said you would be coming and that you would be a little late. We just figured we would save you some trouble," Barbara added with a smile as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Callie.

She returned the hug just as hard, and as they pulled back, she realized Daniel was shifting under their baggage, "Oh, right! Sorry, here let's get you guys inside."

Opening the door with a flourish, she gestured, "So, this is it. I'll bring you to the guest room." She loved that. She loved that their apartment together had a guest room and that Arizona's parents were staying in it when they came to visit.

They followed her, down the hall, past the kitchen, dining area, and finally through the living room, where both bedrooms sat next to each other, she opened one door, "Here's the guest room. The bathroom is right there. And everything else… well, you've seen it," she finished with a laugh.

As Daniel muscled his way in, he commented, "Bug must have picked the color for this room."

Barbara rolled her eyes, "It's a nice pastel!"

At the same time, both Callie and the Colonel responded, "It's beige."

"Honestly…" she shook her head, and turned to look around the living room. It was larger than either hers from her old apartment with Cristina and definitely more than Arizona's, and it was fully festive with holiday decorations. She turned back to Callie with a bright smile on her face, her voice low, "You two seemed to have really made a home for yourselves here."

Her own indulgent smile took over, "We have."

Less than a half hour later, the three of them were in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Barbara stood at the stove, despite Callie's assertions that she didn't have to cook. And Callie stood a few feet away from her, at the counter, preparing some the food that was going to have to be put into the oven soon, while Daniel crossed his arms, "I feel useless."

"In the kitchen, you are," Barbara threw over her shoulder at him.

Callie laughed, "Here, you can chop some veggies," she put the cutting board on the counter for him, with a joking smile, "Do you think you can manage that?"

He rolled up his sleeves, scoffing, "I think I can handle such a huge challenge," he told her, his voice dry while Barbara laughed.

The apartment door opened and Arizona came rushing in, not bothering to take off her boots, coat, or backpack, a bright smile on her face, "You guys are here! Very domestically here."

Daniel paused his chopping to look over at her, "And you just tracked snow all inside."

Kicking off her shoes, she shook her head, "Ah, but this is my place. You can't yell at me for making a mess; you're a guest!"

The blonde came in, pressing first a kiss to her dad's cheek, then her mom's. Then she pressed her lips to Callie's, kick starting her heart pounding in her chest, her hands freezing on the food she was working on. God, it was so domestic. She loved it.

Apparently, so did Barbara, as she looked at them with a smile on her face and sighed, "Oh, you two are too cute. We'll be planning a wedding in no time."

Her words made Callie's heart beat just a bit faster in the most pleasant way that made her kind of light headed, but that completely stopped when Arizona's laugh bit into the air, "Hilarious, mom. Don't be ridiculous."

* * *

With the door to their bathroom open, Callie could see her girlfriend brushing her teeth at their sink from where she sat on the bed. Her hair was in the messy, haphazard bun she tossed it into most nights before they went to bed, as she went through her nightly routine. It was ridiculously, unfairly sexy, and usually it made her smile, but tonight she was not in a good mood, at all.

She felt confused and frustrated. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she watched Arizona effortlessly move her hands over the products they had without even watching her movements. When they'd first moved in here almost three months ago, it took some adjusting for both of them to move around each other's things, to get used to the mixture of all of their belongings, and now that it had happened, she couldn't pinpoint when or how either of them had stopped seeing what they had as separate Callie's or Arizona's.

Whenever it had happened, they had melded together. Their lives were blended now – it was _their_ apartment, _their_ furniture and accessories in the apartment. Scanning her eyes down the blonde's apparel, she almost managed to feel amused, _their_ pajamas. Somewhere along the line, it had become _their_ life, together, and they lived in it seamlessly.

Or at least, she had thought they did, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered. As Arizona shut off the bathroom light and came toward the bed. Wordlessly, she slid back from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed back to the head of the bed, pulling down the comforter as she went.

Her girlfriend slid in from the other side, and as soon as she pulled up the blanket, Callie switched off the lamp next to her, engulfing them in darkness. But she didn't move, instead laid in the same place, whereas the normally would have rolled in toward the middle of the bed to cuddle. The way, she could feel the bed dip slightly and heard the ruffling of sheets, Arizona moved.

A part of her, the part that hadn't slept in the same bed with her girlfriend in the last two nights because of her shift at the hospital, was telling her to roll inwards and wrap her arms around the body she'd been missing. But the part of her that was confused and frustrated and a little – maybe more than a little – hurt kept her stoically on her back, on the left side of the bed.

Seconds crawled by in silence before Arizona's voice broke through, "Calliope, can you move your body onwards over this way?" she asked, her tone light and teasing, while her hand reached out and she walked her fingers along Callie's shoulder, then collarbone, then slid her hand out and over, in the direction of Callie's chest, whispering, "I've missed you."

Despite the fact that her body was ready for the blonde's touch, she reached up and took Arizona's hand in hers, bringing it down to rest between them, gently brushing her fingertips over the soft skin before removing her hand completely and folding her arm so it rested over her stomach, "Your parents are here."

When she heard movement, she turned her head to see Arizona propped up on her elbow, looking down at her, a confused smile on her face, "So? That didn't really stop us from having sex when we were at their house. At least this time they're on our turf and on-call rooms have taught us to be quieter."

The thought of their many on-call room rendezvous in the last month – they'd found that the third floor room was practically a god sent gift on keeping their sex life satisfied – made her shiver and tingle in what was usually one of the best feelings of anticipation. But right now, she turned onto her side, facing away from Arizona, "I'm just not in the mood tonight."

The blonde scoffed, "Baby, you're always in the mood. _We're _always in the mood," she pointed out, then waited a few moments for Callie to say or do something. But she didn't, because the fact that Arizona was right about that annoyed her. When she didn't do anything, she spoke again, "Callie," Arizona sighed, her exasperation clear in her tone, "What is the problem here? You've been acting weird since dinner."

She wanted to say that nothing was wrong, and mean it, and just go to sleep. But she couldn't, because she had never been good at holding in the way she felt. In a quick move, she turned so that she was facing her girlfriend, "Do you remember at what point of conversation at dinner?"

For a second, the blonde's face scrunched up as she thought back, "Was it when…" she trailed off, still searching for an answer.

Reaching over, Callie switched the light back on, "It was when your mom brought up us getting married and you laughed. Out loud. And told her to not be ridiculous."

Arizona shifted so that she was sitting up, "Seriously? You've been upset for hours over that? What, do you want to get married?"

"Yes!" she shouted, then grimaced, remembering the Robbins parents who were in the next room over. Lowering her voice, she didn't miss the way blue eyes widened and the flash of panic that danced through them. And she definitely didn't miss the way it made her feel, her stomach sinking, that hurt feeling becoming more prominent. Reminding herself to keep her voice down, she picked at the edge of the comforter with her fingers, "I don't want to get married, like, now. But I do in the future." Swallowing, she repeated, "It's not something I want _now_. But it's something I want."

She watched as a flurry of emotions crossed Arizona's face before she did that thing where she just shut them down. It was something she hadn't done with her since last year, since before they were actually together, and the fact that she did it now set Callie on edge.

And because Arizona didn't reply, she couldn't stop more of her words from spilling out, "A wedding, a planned big wedding with my family and friends is what I want. Aria and I have talked about our weddings since we were little, and hers was so amazing, and I want… I want that, too."

The blonde sighed, "Calliope… I never dreamed of a big white, wedding. When you were walking down the pretend isle with Aria, I was playing paratroopers with Tim. My Barbie and Ken – or Barbie and Barbie – never got married… they got taken hostage by GI Joe," she finished, with a hint of mirth in those eyes as she finally made eye contact. But behind that twinkle of amusement, was complete seriousness.

Which baffled her. Feeling too restless to stay in bed, she got up to pace just a bit, her fingers lacing together in front of her, "That doesn't make any sense, Arizona. You – you told me that when you were with Joanne you were going to propose to her." As she remembered those words echoing in her head, she latched onto them, stopping her walking to stare at her, and she could have sworn Arizona looked… stuck.

She searched for a reply, and all she could come up with and express in words was, "Joanne was... different. My relationship, what I had with her, was different."

"But that doesn't make sense!" the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, as she wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling rose inside of her, strangling her. She didn't know if she was mad or perplexed or sad, but she thought it was a terrible mixture of them, "Not in this context. What you had with Joanne was different? I always thought that when you told me that what you felt for me was different than what you felt for her, you meant it in a – a good way."

Now Arizona was standing, right in front of her, "I do mean it in a good way!" she tried reaching for her hands, but Callie backed up a step.

Shaking her head, she crossed her arms, "That doesn't make any sense, then. If what you had with Joanne was less than what we have, but you were going to propose to her –" she cut herself off to gather her racing thoughts, then took a few breaths to calm down, "You were prepared to marry her and spend your life with her, but you're not with me?"

Her girlfriend's hands clenched as she shut her eyes tight, "That's not what I meant by the different between you," her words were forced through clenched teeth. When her eyes opened, they glittered with anger, "I never fantasized about getting married. Ever. And I never thought it was something that I wanted. But with Joanne, I was desperate to hold on to her, and I was willing to do whatever it took to keep her. Including proposing a marriage that I didn't really want."

As her words sunk in, Callie felt like she was slapped in the face, "So you were desperate to be with Joanne and would do anything to hold on to her, but not to me?"

"No! That's not what I mean, I just mean –" she cut herself off with a frustrated growl, dragging her hands through her hair, "With you, I don't have this constant doubt in the back of my mind telling me that you're going to leave me. I never wake up in the middle of the night without you in bed with me and wonder if you're with another girl. And I have enough faith in our relationship that I don't need to propose to you in order for you to stay with me," she finished, quietly, her arms falling to her sides, as wide blue eyes watched for Callie's answer.

But she didn't know what to say. She could see the desperation, the utter honesty reflected in her girlfriend's eyes and she knew that Arizona meant what she was saying to her; she _knew_ Arizona loved her… "You don't have to propose to keep me with you. I'm just… I'm in this," she searched for what to say, deciding on her girlfriend's own words, "I'm in this, and I can't imagine not being with you for, for forever. I can't even think about loving someone else this much and spending my life with them the way I imagine spending it with you."

Arizona's breath left her with a shudder, "Believe me, I'm not planning on spending my life with anyone else, either."

An incredible relief fled through her, but it brought that same mind-numbing confusion back, "Then… why is marriage not an option? Isn't that just like spending your life with me, only officially?"

This time when Arizona reached for her hands, she didn't resist, and let herself be pulled forward, so there was hardly any space between them, even though she didn't speak for a few more moments, "Marriage is… I just don't understand the point. I'm sorry that that hurts you. Because I don't want to hurt you. But I can't help that I feel this way. I want to be with you, and not just because we both signed some certificate that says I have to stay in our relationship, but because it's just what we want. It's just… us." She was quiet for a few moments before sighing and shifting forward, resting her head against Callie's shoulder, "I can't help it. I just don't want that. I was going to propose to Joanne out of desperation and the thought of it scared me and it didn't feel right, but I ignored what I was feeling. Because that was what I did with Joanne."

"And that's not what you do with me," she finished with a murmur, reaching her hand up and finding the soft blonde locks, stroking through them for a few moments before she drew back, "I'm glad it's not like that between us."

Arizona aimed her smile up at her, dimples showing even as she yawned, "Good. Me, neither. Now, can we just forget this argument and lie down? We'll table it for a different day when my parents aren't in the next room? We need to get in our cuddling time when we can," she reminded her with a wink.

Forcing a smile onto her lips, she shook her head, "I'm really not all that tired. I think I'm going to sit out with the tree for a little bit."

Her girlfriend's eyes bore into her, narrowed, "You're still upset."

"No," she insisted for a moment, before shrugging, "A little. I just need to think and process for a little bit, and I'll be back in. You go to bed; I'll be back in soon."

Even as the blonde yawned, she offered, "I can stay up with you."

"You're tired. And no doubt your parents will be up early tomorrow and you'll want to be up with them, too. Just go to sleep," she said, emphasizing her words with a step forward, making Arizona step backwards, her knees hitting the bed.

Taking the unsubtle hint, she crawled in, settling directly in the middle, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay up to talk about this?"

She did, actually. She wanted Arizona to explain why she didn't think marriage was a good thing, and why she didn't want it. She wanted to know how Arizona pictured them being together for the rest of their lives but couldn't picture them getting married. But she didn't want to push it, because she didn't want to be the Joanne.

Brown eyes watched as Arizona pulled the covers up over herself, and she gave her a small smile, flipping off the lamp, "Goodnight."

The blonde clearly didn't believe any of her words about being fine or not wanting her to stay up, but she settled back against the pillows, "Night… when you come in are you planning on cuddling then?"

"You can count on it," she forced a smile before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her and making her way to the living room, sitting on the couch. The tree they'd decorated together – a real one, not the plastic one she had packed away somewhere, because Arizona insisted on it. The real tree made Christmas special, she'd said. Callie hadn't grown up with a real tree, but she found that she liked it.

Moving from where she was sitting, she laid on her back on the floor, sticking her head under the tree and looking up at the lights spiraling around the branches. Arizona had made her do this for almost an hour the first night after they'd bought the tree. To just breathe in the smell, she'd said, and her enthusiasm had been so adorable. She said that she and Tim used to do this when they were kids and that they would "talk to Santa" while lying underneath.

Letting out a deep breath, she closed her eyes. For the last few months, she wouldn't lie, a lot of her fantasies and dreams about the two of them would involve weddings. When she saw bridal magazines, she would look at the dresses on the cover and imagine either she or Arizona in one of them. She thought that was natural – when you were in a committed relationship with someone who you loved and who loved you back, when neither of you could imagine life without the other, a wedding was the natural thing to think about.

Apparently that wasn't the case with Arizona. And if her girlfriend didn't want to get married, that wasn't exactly an issue she could force. She didn't _want_ to force it; she wanted Arizona to want it for them. If she did insist on needing them to be married for her to be happy, she didn't doubt that Arizona would give in and marry her. Because that was who she was. But then, as she'd thought earlier, she would be no better than Joanne was.

If she insisted on getting married, Arizona would ignore what she wanted and do it even if she didn't want to. She wasn't going to do that. Which meant that she had to let go of what she'd been dreaming about for the two of them. The thoughts of them dancing in her mind's eye, both in those bridal magazine dresses, danced right away from her.

Her girlfriend. She was going to have a _girlfriend_ when she was in her fifties. Sixties. Seventies! The thought did make her let out a soft chuckle, despite that fact that she wasn't feeling particularly humorous. Sobering again, she opened her eyes to look at their decorated tree from the inside.

Decorating the tree with Arizona had been fun, and light, and easy. They'd sang to Christmas music and kissed and lightly fought over which ornaments should go where, and when they'd been doing it, she had thought about how she could imagine doing that same thing for years to come.

They didn't have to be married to do those things or to give her that feeling of being so deeply loved. A piece of paper and a ring didn't _mean_ anything and didn't determine their feelings. She didn't need a marriage, but she needed Arizona. Repeating that to herself, she just thought about how she had to let go of that wedding and marriage dream. Their lives could be spent together without that. It was just a matter of getting herself to the point where she was completely okay with that.

But as she slid back into bed, moving toward the warm body of her girlfriend, who automatically wrapped around her even as she was sleeping, she couldn't help but think, the thought just as whisper, that maybe Arizona just wasn't ready to consider marriage. Yes, they lived together and they loved each other, but it was only a year ago that her girlfriend had had trouble even picturing herself in a committed relationship. It wasn't even like she herself wanted to get married right now; she was still in med school. There was still the feeling of hope inside her saying that maybe Arizona didn't want marriage… yet.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who already leaves their thoughts and opinions, and as always, thank you for reading.  
**


	44. Marriage Revisited

They didn't bring up the discussion of marriage again until days later, after her parents left. That next morning, Arizona had woken up in their bed, Callie's warm body pressed against her. It was one of the things she loved most about sleeping with her girlfriend; she was so warm. She practically threw heat off of her body, and Arizona felt like she was insulated from the inside out, completely cushioned by her.

And Callie was true to her word; she did come back to bed and cuddle after she'd disappeared out to the living room to process their discussion. Which made her glad, because waking up with her girlfriend's body melded to hers, leg hooked around her and arm holding tight, Arizona felt sure that her revelation of not wanting to get married wasn't going to be something that would cause them lasting problems.

Yet, she could tell that something had been slightly off with Callie, and it had been since two nights ago. Just the slightest bit of a frown line between her eyebrows that she wanted to rub at with her thumb and press her lips against to make it go away, except she knew it wouldn't be enough.

The next morning, after waking up, she'd gently untangled herself from Callie's hold on her and made her way out to the kitchen, where her mom had been starting to make homemade pancakes. It was kind of strange to see someone who wasn't her or Callie in their apartment, but it was good strange.

When she'd poured herself a cup of coffee, her mom gave her a sly look out of the corner of her eye, and Arizona knew right away that she had heard what had gone on, at least partially. And because she was her mom, she knew there was no way she was going to let it go.

Attempting to throw her mom off the scent she'd picked up, she simply sipped at the coffee in her mug – it was one that Callie had brought in, but Arizona had sniped it and claimed it as her preferred coffee mug the day after they'd moved in together – and asked, "So, where's dad?"

Because she knew without a doubt that if her mom was up and about, already showered, dressed, and making breakfast by eight in the morning, so was her father. Barbara started rifling through the cabinets to find a skillet as she'd answered, "He went out to buy some orange juice."

"He doesn't even know where the grocery store is," she grumbled, as she opened the correct cabinet and pulled out what her mom was looking for, handing it to her, even as the older woman rolled her eyes at her.

"Honey, we're not idiots. We found our way to your apartment easily enough, and I'm not sure if you've ever met your father, but he could navigate his way around the ocean floor," she'd said, placing the pan on the stovetop, but not turning on the burner. Instead she'd turned around and lifted her eyebrows in that knowing way that Arizona was sure that only she had, "So what was that argument you and Callie were having?"

Even though she'd known it was coming, she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips, "It wasn't a big deal."

Her mom quirked her head, just a little, to the side, "It definitely sounded like it was a big deal…"

Because it was. Arizona knew that it was, and the look of abject shock and hurt on Callie's face was burned into her mind. Running her hand through her hair, she leaned heavily against the counter, "Callie wants to get married."

Her mom's eyes, a lighter blue than her own, widened as her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair, "Right now? She's not even out of medical school yet! You're still an intern. That's just –"

She couldn't help but laugh, just a little amused at Barbara's response, "No, mom, not right now. I just mean, that's something that she will want. It is something she wants, for her. Us, for us," she corrected quietly, just trying to imagine it. But she just couldn't see herself in a beautiful white dress, actually happy to be there, walking up the aisle. Even if Callie was going to be the woman she'd be walking to, or vice versa.

Her mom took in the information with a quiet, "Ah, I see." She took to mixing the pancake batter for a few seconds before asking, "And that's not what you want?"

They'd talked about this in the past. Several times, both during and post Joanne, and she fixed her mom with a stare, "You know that's not what I want. I just…" she struggled to articulate her feelings into words, feeling much less pressure when talking about it with her mom than with her girlfriend, "It's so… I don't know. Pointless? It's not the idea of committing myself to Callie that I hate, because I want to be with her for… indefinitely. When I thought we were breaking up," it happened months ago and she still felt like she couldn't breathe when she'd remembered how serious Callie had been as she'd been prepared to leave, "I felt like I wouldn't be able to _feel_ after. That's not the problem. But I just don't _get it_," she bit her lip in frustration at not being able to really explain her ambivalence about the whole idea of marriage.

Her mom reached her hand out, running it over her shoulder and down her arm in a way that inexplicably soothed her, "Honey, I understand. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

Her breath expelled from her lungs in a confused huff, "You do? You understand?"

Now her mom did turn away, her hands moving to pour the pancake batter onto the pan in quick, agile movements, forming perfect circles, "Did I ever tell you that I didn't want to marry your father?"

Arizona put the mug down hard on the counter before it fell from her hands in her shock, "What?" Because the thought of her parents not being married to each other just was… so strange. She obviously knew that they hadn't always been together, but, "The way you guys always told me and Tim your story was that you guys met when dad was stationed in California, and you had your whirlwind romance and he swept you off your feet right after you graduated college, and "it was history after that,"?" she quotes, knowing the story from memory.

Her mom chuckled a little bit, "Well, when I had you at three years old, and Tim at five, looking up at me with your big blue eyes, asking me how we fell in love, that's the story you were going to get. But you're older now, and I'll tell you how it was. It was nineteen eighty-four, and I had just gotten my master's degree in political science from UCLA," her mom paused for a second, flipping the pancakes, while Arizona pushed herself up to sit on the counter a few feet away.

Reaching for her coffee mug again, she nodded, "I know this part," she said sticking her tongue out as her mother hit her lightly on the leg with the end of the spatula that wasn't on the food.

"What you didn't know is that I had big plans – I was going to start working on Reagan's re-election campaign – don't roll your eyes at me, he was a great president. Anyway, when I was out celebrating, your father was, too, because it was one of his first nights off base since he returned from his second tour," she let out a sigh, a small smile on her face, "He was so handsome, and the moment we met I knew that we were going to go home together."

She'd been expecting her mom to say something cheesily romantic, like she knew that they were going to fall in love or something, but she had not been expecting _that_, "Mom, stop!"

The smile the older woman gave over her shoulder was almost evil, "I thought you wanted to hear the story that you haven't heard before, honey?"

Glaring, she put her coffee down again, "Not _those_ parts. God, fast forward please."

"All right, so after a few months, we were dating and everything was good. You know your dad – it's impossible not to love him. Then he got word that he was being deployed again. Before he left, he asked me to marry him and I said no," her mom said, easily, as she reached for the cinnamon sugar that she sprinkled into the pancakes as they cooked.

Imagining her father, in the pictures she'd seen all her life, with him young and all dapper in his uniform in those aged pictures from the eighties, and how in love her parents were in their pictures together from back then she shook her head, "I can't believe…Why?"

Her mom just looked at her like she was crazy, "Because I was twenty-four years old, and I just started my own career. I didn't want to be a wife, let alone the wife of a marine. And we'd just met, really. So what, we felt like we were in love but did that really mean anything? So I said no. He was heartbroken; he cried," she confided.

Arizona couldn't help but scoff, "He did not," simply because she couldn't imagine her dad shedding a tear. She was sure he did. Someday, maybe, in the past. Like when he was five, and he fell and scraped his knee. But he was just so tough, she couldn't fathom it.

Barbara looked at her over her shoulder, "What do you mean, he did not? I was there, honey. And he tried to hide it, but it happened. He did not… I resent that; I was a catch!"

Scooting to the side a little bit, she pressed a kiss to her mom's cheek, grinning, "You still are. Continue."

She plated the first batch of pancakes, pouring on some new ones before going on, "So he was deployed and we were broken up."

Shaking her head, she leaned her head back, resting it on the upper cabinets, "I can't believe you rejected dad and sent him packing overseas. You're terrible," she joked, enjoying the way her mom blushed slightly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was miserable. We would write letters to each other – phone calls were much less accessible than they are now for soldiers, and forget anything with the internet. And then there was an entire month where I didn't get any letters, and I was terrified. I called the base repeatedly, and they told me that I couldn't get any information unless I was family. It was… the worst feeling," she said quietly, in a voice Arizona had heard many times. Every time her father had been deployed when she was younger, her mom got that quiet voice.

Barbara cleared her throat, then continued, "I proposed to him the day he came back. There are other parts, but I'm sure you don't want to hear them," she shot another smile over her shoulder, and Arizona rolled her eyes.

Pushing herself off the counter, she spun around to reach for some plates, "I appreciate the full story behind you and dad being together, but… you not wanting to be married to him because you wanted to focus on your career and because dad was a marine is completely logical. It makes sense. I don't have those reasons. We're both in the same future career path, and she's not getting deployed, not going anywhere. I just don't _want_ the wedding and the rings and the piece of paper. It's not something I've ever imagined or wanted for myself, and the last time I seriously thought about it, with Joanne, it scared the crap out of me."

And, if she was being honest with herself, it still didn't feel like something she wanted, with Callie. It frustrated her that she didn't have those perfectly logical reasons to lay out, but it was the truth. She knew what a marriage meant between two people who loved each other, her parents for example. It was a great, beautiful thing. But it wasn't something she thought she could – should – even verbally agree to unless she was absolutely positive she wanted it.

Her mom sighed, "I guess that didn't really convey what I wanted to convey – what I want you to know, honey, is that it is completely all right for you to not want to get married, no matter what your reason is, even if it's an intangible feeling you have. You can be happy together without being married."

But how, when Callie wanted it – apparently, badly – and she didn't? "I know people can be happy without marriage, mom. I feel like I can be. I just need to know that Calliope can be."

"Then you need to talk about it," her mom said, simply. "Nothing's going to be solved between you if you don't talk – not argue."

Putting the plates down on the table, she nodded, "I know," then muttered, "I just don't know what to say."

Because she couldn't stand to see that hurt look on Callie's face again, not the expression she'd worn last night, because it had just made her feel guilty and depressed. Before her mom could say anything else, the front door opened and her dad's telltale whistle could be heard from down the hall. He appeared with the newspaper and a gallon of orange juice, "Good morning, Bug."

She responded just as her mother slid the full plate of pancakes onto the counter, "Honey, go wake up Callie, breakfast is ready."

But she didn't have to wake up her girlfriend, because Callie had come out of their bedroom seconds later, looking adorably sleepy, her hair tousled, and found them all in the kitchen. She greeted her parents with a bright smile, as bright as it could get, and then kissed her good morning, softly, lightly, as if everything was normal.

She'd been that way throughout her parents' entire visit, normal, Callie. They'd had a great pre-Christmas celebration yesterday morning, where they'd exchanged gifts and the four of them had gone out to lunch later, before Arizona had had to go work her shift. Arizona couldn't imagine anything better than that – she could imagine them doing things like having family Christmases and lunches together for years to come.

That feeling of security and surely looking forward to the future like that wasn't anything like what she'd had with Joanne, who had never really gotten along with her parents. Even her mother, who treated everyone so kindly, had a distant relationship with her old girlfriend. But Callie fit with them; she fit with the Robbins, just like she fit with everything in Arizona's life, and she loved that.

Turning her head to look at her girlfriend, she let her eyes just stay on her face. She was so incredibly beautiful, she thought, her heart doing that little flutter in her chest that only Callie had ever been able to make happen just by looking at her.

They were in the back of a lavish town car that had been waiting for them at the airport when they'd touched down a half hour ago, and Callie had been silent the entire time, that little line between her eyebrows more pronounced with every minute that ticked by.

And Arizona just knew it was time to bring the marriage talk up again, because she finally had at least one thing she wanted to tell Callie for sure. Reaching her hand out, she skimmed her fingers down the soft skin of that tan one, down her fingers, before laying hers on top of it. When those dark eyes turned to look at her, she was startled to see how much emotion was swirling in them, "Calliope, I can tell you're still upset, and that you've been growing more upset, and I want you to know… I want to tell you that I'm not dismissing you. I know you want to get married; I know you want that."

Callie's eyebrows drew together, "Arizona," she started, but Arizona shook her head, because she needed to get her words out.

"You want that, and you are so amazing, for me and to me. And if you want that, I can try to want that, too. I'll try as much as I can to give you what you want," she said, the words and just the thought of a wedding frightening her still, but the thought of a future without Callie scared her even more.

A tiny trace of a smile came up on those lips that she loved, as Callie shook her head, "Arizona, I am not _upset_. I'm – I'm nervous. Because we're going to my parent's house, where all of my family that I haven't seen in a year a half will be. People who… I don't even know what they've been thinking of me – if they've been thinking about me at all – for a year and a half. I'm nervous about that." Those brown eyes closed and she took in a deep breath, "I want to talk to you more about our future together, and we're going to. Soon. But my house is about thirty seconds away and it's full of people that cut me off for a year and a half and I'm really, really… nervous," she finished, repeating her earlier word, and Arizona could feel how tense she was under her hand.

Moving their hands, she maneuvered them so that she could turn Callie's and hold it in hers, feeling how tightly her girlfriend clung, and holding back just as tight, "I'm going to be with you every step of the way."

"No matter what," Callie breathed out, looking out the window as the car rolled to a slow stop.

Quickly leaning in, she skimmed her other hand over Callie's cheek, turning her head so that she could brush their lips against each other's, in a way that she hoped would comfort her. Then they simply held there, and she could feel Callie's heartbeat as she spoke against her lips, "No matter what. And you're going to be fine. Your family loves you, because it's impossible not to."

Callie pulled back, nodding, but her eyes were doubtful, "All right. Let's go."

As the driver came around to open the door, Callie slid out first, their hands still clasping each other's. But as her girlfriend started to walk forward, Arizona was glued to her spot on the ground. "Jesus," she breathed out, her mouth falling open.

This house wasn't even a house; it wasn't even a mansion. It was a… a … she didn't even know what it was, it was just freaking huge. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she was sure the house and all of the land she could see beyond it could probably take up half of the street that her parent's house was on.

She knew Callie's family had money, but this was just. Wow. Looking down, she realized that they weren't even standing on a typical driveway, but laid brick that still looked brand new, though it undoubtedly wasn't. If she looked closer, she would be able to see that there were small T's marking the bricks.

Callie tugged on her hand, an amused expression showing through the anxiety, "Come on, baby. Let's go."

She stumbled forward a bit, her eyes still wide and glued to estate, looking back behind them as Callie led them up an impeccably kept walkway to a large mahogany door, "I can't even believe this is a real house and not a museum."

Callie let out a quiet laugh and Arizona forgot for a second why she didn't ring the doorbell before opening the door. They stepped through the threshold, and goddamn, this place was huge and shiny and rich and gorgeous, her thoughts came incoherently, as Callie called out, "We're here?"

But there was no answer. No sound for a few seconds before a woman in a maid's uniform – a maid's uniform, Arizona's eye widened – "Miss Callie! You're here! I've been informed to tell you that your family has started today's party at your Uncle Alberto's. And that your town car and Robert are prepared to bring you there."

Arizona watched as Callie effortlessly and gracefully greeted this older woman – her _maid_ – "Kim! You look great. And thank you, but I think we'll just hang out here for a little while."

She couldn't get a read on how Callie was feeling, until Kim left, and all of the tension dropped from her shoulders, "Oh, thank god. I didn't want all of them to be here, and jump on me. You. Us. I'm glad we get some time to just be in the house," she sent one of her bright smiled toward Arizona, who returned it, before tugging on her hand, "Come on, I'll show you my room, and where we'll be staying."

Arizona nodded and followed, barely managing to keep her mouth shut from the complete awe she was in at everything they were passing, then closed the bedroom door to the room that Callie let them in behind them, her mouth falling open, "Holy… Calliope, I thought Aria's house in the Hampton's was big. But your bedroom is the size of our entire apartment!"

She felt Callie come up behind her, a light, dismissing laugh coming out, "Please, this is not as big as our apartment."

As she felt those long fingered hands come lightly to rest on her hips, she turned to look up at her, dead serious, "It's at least the size of our bedroom plus the living room and maybe the second bedroom put together."

But those dark eyes didn't leave hers to even scan around the space, "Trust me, I like our apartment better, regardless of the size. It's homey and gorgeous and us."

"Us," she repeated, the word making her think back to the topic she'd been trying to resolve.

Apparently, it did the same for Callie, who nodded slowly, "Did you really mean what you said in the car? That you would try to want it, too?"

Biting her lip, she hummed, "Yes." Even if the thought jarred her now, maybe one day, if she tried really hard… it wouldn't? Even her thoughts sounded doubtful to her own mind. But if it was what Callie wanted, she could at least try wanting it, too. "I want you to be happy," she said, tilting her head upwards.

Callie's hands found their way under Arizona's shirt, tracing light patterns onto her hips, eliciting shivers, as her words confused the blonde, "No. I don't want you to think you have to change what yourself or want you want, for me. I just want you to be who you are and to want what you want, and for us to work with that."

And that was such a Callie thing to say, she thought, leaning forward, her hands going to cup Callie's jaw as she shook her head, "But you shouldn't have to change what you want for me, either." Taking a deep breath, she slid her hands down, digging them into full hips, "I just don't want you to have to give up your dream, for me," she whispered, her eyes searching Callie's face and drinking in every emotion she had to give out.

Arms slid slowly around her waist, and hers went to wrap around her girlfriend's, as that little line completely disappeared, relieving her, "Arizona… yes. I dreamed about a wedding. But what I want is what a wedding and a marriage means. What I've dreamed of for all of my life is that I would have someone who loves me enough to want to spend their life with me. Someone who loves me unconditionally and would be with me through anything. Someone who I loved the same way. And we have that. So, no, I'm really not giving up my dream. What we have, that's my dream."

The best feeling she'd experienced since they first broached the topic bloomed inside of her chest, "Really?"

Callie's face leaned into hers, and her eyes closed of their own accord, heart quickening it's beat as those lips came close enough to brush against her skin, "Really. I mean, it might be a little hard to explain to our future children why their two mommies aren't married, but I think that we'll be able to tackle the conversation when it happens," she let out a low laugh, the sound giving Arizona automatic goose bumps as Callie's warm breath ran over her skin.

But then that really nice feeling kind of deteriorated, just a little bit. Her heart pounded, while her stomach felt heavy, and her tongue felt thicker than usual. Oh, boy. Somehow she felt this whole kids conversation wasn't going to go as easy as the marriage one.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! All thoughts and opinions are welcome, and appreciated. Thank you so much for reading. **

**I'm not entirely sure how much is left of this story, so there could be anything from 2 more chapters to 10, but either way, thank you for sticking with it and me for so long!**


	45. Ten Year Compromise

Callie felt like she couldn't even comprehend what words had just fallen from her girlfriend's lips. She was just staring at them, as if she had imagined them moving merely seconds ago, delivering a statement that she could not process. Those lips that whispered sweet hushed words, passionate exclamations, and declarations of love that she was positive would never get old, had just opened to say:

"_I don't want to have kids_."

Arizona had said it quietly, but deliberately. Firmly. And she was having trouble computing how someone like Arizona, didn't want to have kids running around in her future. After a few more seconds of her silence, her girlfriend's voice broke through, "Calliope?"

And that seemed to snap her out of her slight reverie, and she looked into ocean eyes, "What do you mean you don't want to have kids?" The words came out harsher than she intended, and they both cringed, while she searched for a way to clarify herself, "I just… ever? I understand not wanting them now – I definitely don't want them now, I swear to god. Maybe in ten years. But… even in the future?"

Her girlfriend gave her a look that screamed of uncertainty, but Callie knew it wasn't uncertainty of her answer, but on how to say it. Finally, she just shook her head, "Ever. I don't… the thought of having kids doesn't scare me. It just doesn't interest me. And it never has."

Callie's mind raced to wrap around what Arizona was saying, but she just _couldn't_. Because she had always dreamed of having babies. Little fingers and little toes, and the way they giggled, and that baby smell. She wanted it, badly. And she always had. "How do you not want to have kids or get married?"

Arizona folded her arms across her chest, "What I want to know is why is that wrong? Why is it wrong for me to not want the "typical" life that women want? My future happiness just… doesn't lie in having a wife and kids. In being a surgeon and having _you_, that's what I look forward to in my future."

Closing her eyes tightly, she shook her head just a few times as if it would help her to clear it, her voice quiet, "It's not wrong, Arizona. But it's not what I want. I'm sure that I could live without marriage. That's…" she struggled to say the words, "symbolic. But children aren't symbolic. Children are, they're – they're what I've always imagined for myself. Having it all – a family and being s surgeon, that is what I look forward to in my future. And I'm still saying goodbye to the idea of a wedding, and now I'm supposed to say goodbye to the hypothetical kids I've been wanting all of my life?"

As she finished speaking, a deafening silence took over around them, because she just didn't know where to go, and neither did Arizona. They both looked at each other, words failing them, because how was it possible to feel like you were with the person you were supposed to be with, when both of you wanted such different things? How were they supposed to reconcile this difference? How… how?

The clamoring of footsteps running down the hallway drew both of their attention toward the door as it burst open, and Dani's voice filled the silence, "Auntie Callie! Auntie Callie! You're here!"

Fixing a smile onto her face, she knelt in the way that she knew her niece was expecting her to, opening her arms for the girl to jump into. At five years old, Dani was growing like a weed and Callie quickly had to readjust her hold, one arm under the little girl's butt to keep her up while she gave her a hug, "Wow, you are so tall! Almost as tall as I am, huh?"

Her niece gave her a glowing, proud smile before rolling her eyes in a manner than made a real smile tug at her lips, "Don't be silly, you're _wayyyy_ taller than me."

She wiggled around so that Callie would let her go, before she redirected her aim at Arizona, and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs, making the blonde wobble for a second before she rested her hand on Dani's dark curls and brushed through them, while her niece's voice was muffled, pressed against her girlfriend's waist, "And you came, too! I told Auntie Callie to bring you with her the last time I saw her, and she did!"

She missed Arizona's response because all she could think about was how incredibly cute and adorable and right Arizona looked, hugging her niece who could be her carbon copy from childhood. And then she thought of the pictures she'd seen when they'd visited the Robbins, of a young Arizona and how fucking adorable she was, and her heart felt like it was constricting because she wanted that, so badly. She wanted _this_, she thought, as Dani pulled back and grabbed her girlfriend's hand in her small one, then reached for hers, so she was between them and pulling them toward the door with all of her might.

"Mommy said that now that we're back from Uncle Alberto's we can finally eat dinner. And while the maids are setting it up, she told me to come get you, so come on," she turned her head to pout at them as they walked too slowly for her.

Obligingly, they both sped up. As they approached the stairs – where her whole family would be waiting – she felt those stupid butterflies flutter and stir again in her stomach. These were the people who she hadn't seen in a year and a half, who hadn't spoken to her because of her parents. People she'd always thought she could count on, but who turned her back on her just when she needed them most, just when her parents did.

When Dani dropped her hand to flit back down the stairs, announcing, "Mommy! I got Auntie Callie and Arizona!" the attention of her twenty-two family members was drawn their way, and she instantly felt her palms start to sweat.

Freezing for just a second, she felt Arizona's hand lock into hers, and she was grateful for the connection, even though she didn't know what she felt worse about – this no-kids bomb or seeing her family again. With a deep breath, she looked down at her families' faces, then at her girlfriend's inquisitive blue eyes, and she started down the steps, keeping that pale hand tightly in hers. Even though she didn't particularly feel like she wanted to be so closely intertwined with Arizona right now, she couldn't just throw her to the wolves, or throw herself.

But she was shocked, when they reached the landing, with the amount of excitement that immediately bombarded her. She didn't have to debate whether or not to continue holding on to her girlfriend as her family had them separated within moments. Uncles' hugs came so quickly and unexpectedly, she hardly knew what to say in response, and her aunts gushed about how great she looked, while feet away, the blonde was similarly treated with enthusiasm.

She didn't really understand this rally of positivity, but she wasn't going to argue with it, though she suspected it was mostly Aria and her dad's doing. Even as she felt happy with their sudden affection, in the back of her mind, she kept wondering where the hell they had all been in the last year and a half. These people were supposed to always be there for her to count on, but apparently, they were only there when it was okay with her parents.

As one of her parents maids came to tell them that dinner was prepared, everyone started making their way into the dining room. Her mom and dad were already standing at either end of the table, prepared to take their seats while everyone else filed in. Callie found herself across from Arizona, and settled between Aria and her cousin Christa. She was relieved that Arizona easily made conversation with everyone that came her way, because it made it easier for her to not think about the impending conversation that they needed to have together.

While the first course was served, she kept her eyes on her girlfriend. She'd talked nonstop about all of the peds cases she'd been working on when they came into the hospital; she was so good with the kids who came in, and she was good with Dani. She knew that not everyone wanted kids, and she knew that it was a fine life choice… but she couldn't see how Arizona couldn't want so many things that she wanted in the future.

Christa's voice drew her out of her intense stare at Arizona, as her cousin whispered in her ear, "I get it, you know."

Startled, she looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Get what?"

Her twenty-one year old cousin nodded her head in Arizona's direction, "Girls. Girlfriends." Looking around to make sure that no one was paying them any attention, she lowered her voice even more, "I hooked up with my roommate at school."

Oh dear god. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stare at Christa and shake her head or laugh. Christa was a really nice girl… but Callie had always had a hard time taking her seriously. So she found herself nodding, "Oh yeah?"

Her cousin nodded vehemently, "Yeah. She was gorgeous, and super smart. Your girl is really pretty, too."

Smiling a bit, she looked across at her, "She is," she agreed, then was drawn into a long conversation about how her cousin had recently switched her major for a third time.

During a rare lull in conversation, Dani's voice rang out from next to Aria, "Auntie Callie? Is Arizona your girlfriend?"

A loud clang from the end of the table that she was closest to, where her mother was sitting, rang out as she dropped her fork onto her plate, and silence predominated over everyone now. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her confirmation, she raised her eyebrows at her mother, before looking at Dani, "Yes, she is."

Her niece simply accepted the answer with a smile and turned her attention back to her dinner. Conversation between her relatives started again, bringing them back to normal, before Dani lifted her head again, asking, "Do you kiss each other? Like boyfriends and girlfriends do?" This time directed at Arizona.

She looked across the table at her girlfriend, who spent most of the meal so far engaged in conversation with one of Callie's cousins about her experiences in Japan when she was younger because he was there for business school now. The blonde looked at the girl, "Yep! Just like boyfriends and girlfriends…" she conspiratorially lowered her voice and wiggled her eyebrows in a way that made Dani giggle and that Callie found impossibly adorable, "Only better."

And now her mom's voice came out loud and clear, sharp, "That is _not_ appropriate dinner conversation. And you – you don't tell my granddaughter anything like that."

Aria was the first one who spoke, deliberately keeping her voice light, "It's okay, mom. Arizona can tell _my daughter_ that."

The two of them glared at each other, before Aria broke it to look down at Dani, and ask her to leave the room for some grown-up time. After a long-suffering sigh, she scooted her chair back and left the room, which was just enough time before Lucia spoke again, "Don't you dare come into my home and tell my innocent little granddaughter about your lifestyle. The lifestyle that you chose that's going to send my daughter to hell with you! Do you understand that? That you are sending my daughter to hell with you?"

Arizona's eyes were wide, unsuspecting, as they stared at her mom, and before she could even think of what to say, Callie threw her napkin down on the table, anger washing over her, "Mom! I can't… don't talk to Arizona like that!"

Her mom turned toward her for a few moments, then skimmed over the others sitting at the table, before mirroring Callie's action with the napkin, dropping it on the table and pushing herself to stand up, gruffly saying, "Excuse me."

She wasn't even two steps out the door before Callie was on her feet, following her. As soon as she had slid the doors closed behind her, she simply stared at her mom, pacing back and forth across the brightly polished floor. Her mom who was always so well put together, who had always been so unflappable – admirably so. Callie had always pictured having her mother's cool composure when she imagined herself as a doctor. But now, her hair was disheveled as she'd run her hands through it, and her eyes darted to different objects around the room.

She had so many things she had planned to say, from before she'd arrived. Things that came from the place she was in with her dad, a good place. A place of understanding and forgiveness. But she wasn't feeling understanding and forgiving; she felt like her blood was boiling, "You can't just talk to Arizona like that."

The pacing came to a stop, as her mom slowly turned to look at her, "That woman is a guest in my home. An unwelcome guest, I might add, and I can speak to her in any manner that I please."

Clenching her hands tightly, she narrowed her eyes, words scorching the back of her throat, "What happened to all of those manners you taught me when I was young? What happened to etiquette and being polite?" she tried to stop her voice from rising, but it just wasn't happening. Her words escalated before she could stop them.

And her mother's followed suit, dark eyes blazing, "All of that stopped mattering the moment you started dating women! That's not the proper etiquette I taught you, Callie, and that's certainly not behavior that is allowed in my house. It is not behavior I can or will support."

"_How can you even say that?"_ she asked, words tearing from her, almost roughly. Because she just didn't understand. Her mind moved frantically, wondering, maybe something was wrong with her today that she just did not understand words that people were saying to her. First Arizona, now her mother. "You're a professor at a university. You have gay colleagues and students; the receptionist in your department is gay! You – you sent her a gift when she got married to her wife. _You_ taught me about what acceptance means; how can you turn around now and say that everything you taught me to believe is a lie?" her voice cracked on the last word, and she hurriedly cleared her throat, trying to make herself steel against the desperate sadness that was starting to set in.

"Yes, my colleagues. My receptionist. Even the material that I teach about has homosexuals in it. But that has _nothing_ to do with _you_," she yelled, her voice strained, as if she was trying to hold herself back to be mindful of the two dozen people undoubtedly hearing this one room over.

Crossing her arms to keep them from flailing out in frustration, she growled out, "That has everything to do with me! How – how can you teach about acceptance and diversity to thousands of students, but not extend that to me?" she practically begged, because she had to know the answer. It just didn't make sense. Nothing was making sense.

"Because you are my daughter," her mother hissed back, her eyes shining bright, "You are going to spend an eternity in hell because of this. Do you think I care where my receptionist will be spending her afterlife? That's her decision. But you – you are my business, you are my daughter, and you are throwing everything away!"

Before she could say anything, the door behind her opened and they both whirled to look at who had interrupted. Her dad stepped in, closing the door once again, before brushing his hand down the front of his suit jacket, his voice low as always, his tone steely, "That is enough. You two are grown women, and there is no reason to be yelling like this, especially not when we have our entire family outside. This is supposed to be a celebration."

Callie couldn't believe her ears, and she was sure her mouth was gaping open, "Daddy, you… I…" they'd been getting along so incredibly well. They were back to talking every week, and her dad would ask about Arizona, how she was doing, about her time at the hospital. He seemed like he was so understanding now, "How can you stand behind her, when we've been talking so much about –"

Her mother cut her off, "Because your father understands what I mean. He understands –"

Now he was the one to stop her from continuing, his posture and facial expression still completely calm and serious, but his eyes belied that exterior, "I do not understand. We talked about this, Lucia. You supported Callie coming here for Christmas."

"Yes," she narrowed her eyes, "I did support _Callie_ coming here for Christmas. Not her – her tramp!"

"Hey!" she barked out, her face flushed with anger. Tramp? Tramp?! Her entire body tensed, and she knew she was seconds away from just completely snapping, and she took a step closer to her mom, but was stopped by her dad's hand on her arm.

He stood between them, "That is enough. This is This is _my_ house too, and if our daughter's girlfriend wants to stay here, she will be welcome to stay here."

Her mom's eyes raged up at him, "I want her gone."

But Carlos stood firm, simply crossing his arms, "If Arizona goes, then Calliope will go. We didn't have our daughter for a year, and I will not lose her again," his voice got lower and lower with his increasing anger, the opposite of both his wife's and daughter's. The two Torres parents glowered at each other, neither backing down.

And then her mother cracked, looking away from her husband, shaking her head, her eyes moving between the father and daughter in front of her, sounding utterly defeated, "I can't… I have to go."

Her eyes that Callie used to look up to, used to see herself in, connected with hers once more and were just full of contempt and disappointment, so tightly wound she didn't know how she wasn't throwing up, like her stomach was telling her to, "Mamá–" the word slipped out the way it used to when she was younger.

But the older woman had already disappeared through the double doors that led to her office, the door lock loud enough to make Callie cringe. Maybe it was a good thing, because she didn't know where to go or what to say to her.

When her dad turned around to look at her, she could tell his arms were open for a hug, but she just couldn't step into them. Before the summer before this last one, they would have been the place she felt safest to turn to, especially after a fight with her mom. But not now. Now she felt like she needed Arizona's arms, but she couldn't have them because her girlfriend was sitting out there with her whole family. Her girlfriend who had, not twelve hours ago, told her that she did not share _any_ of Callie's dreams for her future, aside from being a surgeon.

She didn't want to get comfort from her father, and she didn't want to go out into the dining room; she needed her own space. Glancing toward the doors, through which everyone was sitting still, and she just couldn't go through them. One day, before her estrangement from them, she might have been able to walk back into the room and they could all act completely normal. But she didn't know if they had that anymore.

"I have to go upstairs," she managed to get out, before she walked away, up the back staircase connected through the kitchen.

She found herself where she had wound up so many times in her teenage years when she needed to shut out the world and feel like everything was washed away; in her shower. This might be the one place she'd missed from her childhood home that all apartments would always be lacking. This shower alone was almost the size of her and Arizona's bathroom. It had three nozzles and the marble was warmed.

Even as the glass enclosed her in, she felt like things were getting too far out of control in such a short time. Her mother… she had thought her mom was okay. Though they hadn't really spoken, especially not the way she had with her father, she had been assured that her mother came around. Had been coming around. She could never have fathomed that it would be her mom more than her dad that disapproved, because it _was_ her mom who taught her so much about equality when she'd grown up.

Her mom, the intellectual college professor, who taught her the difference between tolerance and acceptance. Who told her in high school when she'd been consistently made fun of that treating someone badly just because they might be different was wrong. This wasn't like with her dad, who needed his reaction time. Reaction time was _over_. This was post-reaction, and into simply what it was. This was the result of reaction; it was the final feeling.

What was she supposed to do with that? What –

Jumping a little as the steam around her dissipated and a chill struck through the air in her shower, she turned to see her very naked girlfriend stepping in. It wasn't until a pale hand reached up and traced a thumb right under her eyes that she realized that the stream of water had been masking that she was crying.

Blue eyes looked up at her, and she could see the concern in them, "Your mom was pretty intense…"

Managing to choke out a light laugh, she sniffled and lifted her hand to push back her wet hair from her face, "How about we not talk about my mom while we're both naked in the shower?"

Quick, knowing hands had already reached for the body wash, Arizona rubbing it together in her hands, and stepping behind her, then rubbing the body wash into her skin, her voice quiet, "Okay. I think we have more than enough to talk about with just us while we're in the shower, yeah?"

Closing her eyes tightly, breathing in the steam and the scent of soap and she tensed. Because she still didn't know where to start their conversation, no matter how needed it was for them to have, "We do. We have so much to talk about but I don't know how," she whispered, her words barely recognizable under the loud spraying of the water.

Those hands drifted to her lower back, applying less and less pressure, until finally they weren't touching her at all, and she only heard Arizona's quiet response because it was whispered so closely in her ear, "I don't think there really is a "right" or "smooth" way to bring this up. I think it's like ripping off a band-aid. We just have to…" she trailed off, and breathed out a deep, shuddering breath against Callie's ear, "talk," she finished.

Turning so that they were facing each other once again, she brought up her hand to tip Arizona's head up, so they were eye to eye, "Fine. I'll go first. Just today – in the last few days – I've been trying to come to terms with a future with no marriage, and as long as I was going to have you, I guessed that I didn't need that. But… kids…" she pressed her lips firmly together and shook her head.

"Yeah. Kids… are…a _huge_ deal, Calliope. I understand that. And that's why I can't give in on this. With marriage, if you told me that you needed that, I would – could – do it, because even if I don't want it or see the point, really, even if the idea of it scared me, I could still do it if you pushed for it because I know it would just be you and me," her chest rose and fell quickly, her skin pink from the heat of the water, and she lifted her hand, gently tracing over Callie's collarbone with her fingertip, her eyes trained on the movement before they lifted to look at her again, "But a child… needs and deserves to be wanted by both of their parents. I couldn't bring a child into this world without wanting it completely, and I can't see myself ever wanting that."

As her hand fell down, breaking their contact, Callie closed her eyes away from those blue ones that were pleading with her to understand. She did, to an extent; much like marriage, she didn't want to do something like force this on Arizona – she wanted her girlfriend to want it on her own, "But I do. And I don't know what to do about it, because I feel so…" groaning, she lifted her hands and dug them into her hair, pulling slightly before they got tangled in the dark locks, "I want kids, but I need you. But I just think, what if I need kids? When I'm older, when I'm ready, what if I need kids?"

"I'm afraid of that, too," Arizona said, her voice low, and her nerves were apparent, "But I can't help that I don't want that."

"I know," the words came out of her frustrated, and she closed her eyes to take a breath, "I know you can't. And I can't help what I want, either. It's not either one of our faults. It's just… what it is. But that doesn't get us anywhere, does it?"

Arizona's arms crossed over her bare chest, her eyes wide, staring imploringly up at her, "So what do you want to – to do? Are we supposed to break up now over these future hypothetical children that you might need in ten years?" the quake in her voice was clear, and the tension in the heavy air was palpable.

But she didn't know what to do about it, and that frustrated her even more, as she reached around Arizona to shut off the water, "I don't know!" When two hands came fast, clamping onto her forearms, she looked down at the blonde's face.

"You don't know? You don't know if you want to break up over this?" those fingers dug painfully into her skin, but she didn't move.

She took a moment to close her eyes against the baby blue ones looking up at her, imagining breaking up with Arizona and feeling the complete devastation that would cause her, and she shook her head, "No. I don't want to break up." And she didn't want to think about this anymore, not right now, because there was no clear cut answer and no easy compromise to reach, "How about we just… take it as it comes?"

Arizona's eyebrows drew together, "What does that even mean?"

"It means, we stay together because we both want to. And we'll handle this kids thing… as time goes on?" she struggled to explain, then shook her head, "Now, why don't we get out of the shower? I'm tired and I don't understand why we've had this conversation naked."

Arizona reached out and took her hand in hers, stopping her, before her other hand reached back and turned the water back on, "We might as well finish it naked. I washed your back," she reminded her, a fleeting smile flashing across her face before she was serious again, "How can we take this just as time goes on? I can't live my life with you wondering that at any time, you might realize that you need to have a kid. That's like… constantly living in my number one biggest fear. Constantly wondering if you're going to leave," she finished quietly, turning her back, presenting it to Callie.

As she poured the body wash onto her hands, she knew that Arizona had turned away primarily for the fact that she was trying to hide the fear she had written all over her face. While her hands were gentle on that long, pale back, she sighed, speaking low, and trying to explain her emotions into words that didn't exist, "I'm floundering with this, too, okay? Do I need a kid to be happy now? No. Do I need you to be happy now? Yes. So that's the logic I'm trying to work with here."

While her hands worked into the deliciously soft, leanly muscled skin, Arizona was silent before she suggested, "I vote we table it."

A scoff worked out of her mouth, her hands continuing to rub despite the fact that all of the soap had washed away, "Table it like we tabled marriage? For two days?"

Arizona's response was faster and surer than she anticipated, "Ten years."

Her hands fell away now, surprise setting in, her eyebrows lowering, "What?"

In front of her, the blonde turned, shaking back her wet hair, looking up, sincerity written all over her face, "Ten. Years. You said earlier that you'll want kids maybe in ten years. So in ten years, you'll be thirty-five, and we'll both be done with residency. And that way neither one of us is living in uncertainty."

Shaking her head, she looked down, "But what if in ten years you don't want to have kids and I do? How could we break up after ten years?" She felt like they couldn't even break up without either one of them or both of them experiencing acute heartbreak after only one year.

Slim shoulders shrugged while Arizona bit her lip, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In ten years. This way we'll both have a long time to think about it, weigh the pros and cons. We won't be thinking hypothetically. And we'll both be making an effort."

It sounded like the best decision they could come to. And she supposed it really wasn't all that bad of a solution. As Arizona's hands sought hers out, they linked together, and she repeated, "Ten years." Ten years. She could work with that.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! It's all very much appreciated and I want your feedback. Thank you for reading.**

**And I need to clarify, that last chapter I was in a time of Calzona crisis, due to… you know, everything. However, I'm no longer in crisis mode. This story **_**will**_** be coming to an end in 3 or 4 chapters, but I do want to write about their lives because there is so much more to tell for them. I want their future to have it's own story. So, I'm excited to say that there will be a sequel to this not long after the ending. **

**Also, I will be starting a new story, in light of the events of the last episode. It will be my own version of the show post 9x23, because with Callie and Arizona's relationship the way it was, I had to think of a way to fix them to make myself feel better. I understand if you don't want to read a story about the cheating storyline, but I need to write it. It will be short, probably around 10-15 chapters, and when that comes to an end, the sequel to this story will start. However, I will still update this one consistently until the end. Thank you!  
**


	46. Merry Belated Anniversary

When Arizona woke up the next morning, it was because of an extremely unfamiliar feeling in bed with her. In the haze of her sleep addled mind, she wondered where she was for a few seconds – she knew she wasn't in her bed with Callie, because the smell in the air didn't smell like them. As the memory of where they were set in, she sighed, keeping her eyes closed, then looping her arm over, to the side of the bed where her girlfriend was.

Only, the hips she felt underneath her arm were far too small to belong to Callie and then a bony elbow poked out and hit her in the stomach, making her grunt on impact as her eyes flipped open. There were dark eyes staring at her, but not the dark eyes she'd grown accustomed to waking up to.

Dani's face was inches away from hers, eyes open as her breath hit Arizona's face, smelling like apple juice. The reason why it didn't smell like she and Callie's shampoo was because it smelled like some fruity children's shampoo instead. As soon as she saw that Arizona was awake, her face lit up, and she exclaimed, "Good morning!"

Stretching her arms up, she smiled back, "Good morning."

Last night, after their shower, after they were in their pajamas, they'd sat on the edge of Callie's bed, which was bigger than the queen size they had at home, and was, what Arizona believed to be, fit for royalty. Callie stared, hard, at their suitcases, which were still completely packed up, for a few seconds before saying in a low, gravelly tone, "My mom called you a tramp."

Slowly, she nodded, inching her hand that was resting between her and Callie over, so that it came to rest in Callie's lap, reaching for one of her hands. Immediately, her girlfriend had turned her hand over to interlock their fingers. "I heard her. I – we all, everyone – could hear you two… talking."

"You mean fighting?" she'd corrected, a grimace appearing on her face, "You mean her telling me that she can't accept me? God, it was going to be hard enough with her, I thought, coming here after she hasn't spoken to me in so long. But I told myself that as long as she was making an effort, like my dad, then it would be okay," she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning back down onto the bed, her legs hanging off the edge.

Arizona scooted herself up, adjusting them so that Callie's head was in her lap, and she could run her hands through that thick, dark hair that was still damp after she'd washed it. She didn't know if it was strange, but she loved washing her girlfriend's hair. She just felt like it was so intimate, and she loved being that close to her. And she just plain loved this hair.

One of her hands stroked through, combing as she went, while the other massaged her scalp, and she was relieved to see some of Callie's tension seep out. Their discussion of possible future children was enough to make her feel exhausted, drained. If she could, she would give her girlfriend everything in the world that would make her happy, because seeing Callie's eyes light up in that way she had, seeing her mouth flash that gorgeous, radiant grin… sometimes she felt like she could live on those moments alone.

And times like this? Where Callie had her eyes tightly closed, and Arizona could see the way her throat was moving, as she swallowed back tears – these times hurt her. She hated seeing Callie hurt. But she couldn't just say that she would be fine to have kids in the future, because she really did mean what she'd said earlier. Children were precious, but they were also a lot of demanding time and effort and she could only ever commit to something like that if she was positive that she would want to give her child all of that time and effort.

Marriage was one thing, but children were another entirely. And she couldn't just tell Callie she would want to have them one day, just to make her feel better. She knew that not talking about it didn't make it any less of an issue, but it was… messy. It was messy and complicated and it made no sense for them to be arguing about it now, and that was as far as she could go with it. Time changes everything, and neither she nor Callie was impervious to that.

But either way, she could discuss whatever problems were between them. And they could come up with a solution, even if it wasn't the absolute best one, they would figure out something that worked for them. They had trouble with her work schedule in the beginning, but now because of Callie's color code schedule and moving in together, they could utilize all of their time together. They wanted different things in the future, and they could talk them out.

With this problem, she couldn't talk it out and find the solution. This was Callie's problem with her mother, and no matter what she said or did, she couldn't fix it.

"Maybe you should try talking to her again, without your entire family sitting a few feet away," she suggested, sliding her hand down so her fingers could rub against the back of her girlfriend's neck, adding on softly, "Without me sitting a few feet away."

Callie's teeth dug into her bottom lip, her eyes flipping open, red rimmed, "That's the thing; I don't… I don't want to talk to her anymore. I don't want to give her speeches about my life with you or how you love me better than any man – any_one_ – could, because I know it won't matter. You didn't see the way she looked at me tonight, when she walked away. She… she isn't my dad, whose emotions come out first, who was able to eventually step back and look at everything and realize that he was wrong. My mom is a brilliant woman," she bit out, her anger clear, "She knows… she knows. It's been a year and a half; she is not going to change."

She felt helpless, and simply shifted so she could bring her face down and press her lips against that smooth, tan forehead, whispering against her warm skin, "It's okay if you want to cry. I know you've said before that you don't want to cry over your mom, or any of your family, but… if you want to, to just lie here and cry a little and I'll be the big spoon, then, that's what we can do."

Callie shook her head and wiped both hands over her face with a deep breath, "No. Crying isn't going to do anything, you know you what? I'm _mad_. She called you a tramp!"

Sighing, she dropped onto her back, sinking into the mattress, her hands going back to Callie's hair after her girlfriend shimmied up to lay her head on her stomach. "She did. So, if you don't want to talk to her anymore, what do you want to do? We're supposed to be here until tomorrow afternoon." Their flight back to Boston was scheduled for tomorrow, Christmas day, because she had work bright and early the day after that. As Callie tipped her head into her touch, she wrapped a lock of her hair around her finger, "I mean, the rest of your family seemed really nice."

Callie was quiet for a few seconds before sitting up and repositioning herself so that she was lying on her side next to the blonde, "I know they were. But at the same time, I… I got over them not talking to me. I lived with it and I dealt with the pain that it caused me, and then I just got really _mad_. And when I saw them all tonight, I just felt kind of mad, again. Still."

Turning on to her side, she looked up at Callie and propped herself up on her elbow, "So, what do you want to do, then? I'll do anything you want." Because to her, it really didn't matter where they spent this holiday. After already seeing her parents last week, the only person she really needed to be with on Christmas was already in bed with her. If Callie wanted to stay with her family, that was fine with her; aside from Lucia, they'd all made an effort to let her know that they were friendly. But if Callie didn't want to, and she wanted to do… anything else, she was fine with that, too.

"I don't want to be here," her girlfriend admitted after expelling a deep breath. "Isn't that messed up? Last year, I wanted to be here so badly. I dreamed about being here with my family, seeing that huge tree downstairs, sleeping in this bed – my bed – on Christmas Eve. But now that I'm here, I don't want to be. That's messed up, right?"

She shook her head, "No, Calliope, that's not… you're human. So, your family wants to be a part of your life now, but that doesn't erase the fact that none of them spoke to you for over a year. You have every right to feel the way you feel."

Now Callie reached her hand out to take hers, her fingers quickly skimming down the back of her hand before flipping it over, "I feel like I don't want to stay in a house where you're not wanted. This doesn't feel like my home anymore… ours does."

Their home, the words had echoed in her head in the beautiful way they rolled off of Callie's tongue. They had a home together, and it might not be this palace, and their bathroom right off their bedroom might be the same size as Callie's shower, but it was _their home_.

In the end, not five minutes after their conversation, Aria had knocked on the door before she went back to her house and asked, given the fight Callie had had with their mother, if the two of them wanted to spend the night in one of her guest rooms. And they did.

Which was why Callie's five year old niece was lying in bed next to her, an elbow jutting out and sticking into her ribs, and two knobby knees knocked against her thighs. "Did I wake you up?" she asked, now trying to turn her voice into a whisper.

Lifting her hand, she brushed it through dark curly hair, still tangled from sleep before sitting up, "No, no, I wake up early anyway." A look at the clock told her that it was hardly eight o'clock. Confused, she asked, "So, where is your Auntie Callie?"

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, with a smile taking over her features, "I'm not 'sposed to tell you."

Lifting her eyebrows, she opened her mouth in exaggerated surprise, making the girl giggle, "Not _supposed_ to tell me, hmm?" Which meant that there was a secret to be kept, "Is there any way that I can get this secret out of you? Tickle torture, perhaps?"

She lifted her hands up and flexed them in preparation, while Dani shook her head with a huge smile on her face, "No! I'll never tell."

So she dove in, wiggling her fingers into the little girl's midsection, while Dani squealed and kicked out her legs, her screaming laughter reverberating off the walls. The bedroom door whipped open, with a frazzled Felix coming to stand in the doorway, his hair mussed, as he stood in his boxers and robe, clearly having come running when he heard his daughter's screeching.

He visibly relaxed at the scene in front of him, drawing a hand through his hair, yawning, "Dani, you shouldn't have woken up Arizona," he chastised his daughter, who just smiled over at him, and then he gave Arizona an apologetic look, "She probably didn't mean to wake you up; her version of snuggling involves throwing around a lot of elbows and knees while she tries to get comfortable."

Which explained the way she'd woken up, with those small limbs digging into her; it was a squirmy five year olds way of cuddling. She just smiled back at him, "It's really okay."

He hesitated in the doorway, and she nodded at him, so he just turned and walked back down the hall. Her previous interactions with children were very limited, because she had no cousins, and Tim certainly didn't have any kids. The way she easily developed a rapport with all of the kids at the hospital was somewhat of a mystery to her, but at the same time, it wasn't. They just… wanted a doctor who could play along with them, smile with them, along with doing what their job.

And she could do that. But that was in her role as a doctor. She could make those kids believe in magic there, could play along there, because she believed in the magic she was performing on them, too. But being with children in her personal life was extremely rare, and she usually found them kind of irritating after a few minutes. They were loud with sticky fingers and they questioned everything. Sure, she could be with them with a smile on her face for a little while, but she was always glad at the end of the time, when their parents rescued her.

For some reason, she didn't find Dani irritating. The girl pushed herself up to stand on the bed, bouncing a little, putting her hands on her hips, with a biggest smile on her face. She was dressed in polka dotted footie pajamas, and even as she was standing, she was hardly taller than Arizona was sitting up. Her eyes stared at the smile for just a few seconds, and she thought that maybe Dani didn't annoy her because she reminded her so much of her girlfriend.

She might not have the desire to have any mini-humans living with her, depending on her every move. But when presented with the miniature version of Callie, with a smile that was almost as bright, she couldn't exactly say she minded having her around, for a little while. The kid could survive off of her cuteness alone.

"B'sides, don't listen to my daddy. Auntie Callie _told_ me to come wake you up this morning. And she told me to give you this," Dani dropped down onto her knees, lightly bouncing the bed as she crawled to the other side of the bed, reaching out and grabbing a piece of folded stationery from the nightstand.

In Callie's writing, which was filled with curves and loops and was the type of handwriting that was utterly feminine, she'd written:

_Did you realize that yesterday was the day before Christmas Eve? And do you remember that the day before Christmas Eve is? I'll give you a hint, it ends in "iversary" but doesn't begin with sex. We had so much going on that it completely slipped my mind. So I'm out for the day to set up a night for us. It's going to be a surprise, even though you don't like surprises._

_You'll like this one, I promise. I love you! And I'll see you tonight._

- _Callie_

Folding the note, she kept it in her hand, slightly mystified. She couldn't believe they'd forgotten that yesterday marked the year since that morning of their first night together, of that morning where she realized that maybe being with Callie wouldn't be as hard as she thought it might be. They had missed their one year. It had lain forgotten in the midst of her work shift ending early in the morning, then they had to catch their plane, during which she'd slept for the entire ride, and they had been tense from the get-go because of their marriage talk. And then they'd had the kids talk, and Callie's family…

Their one year was overshadowed by the other crap that was going on in their lives. How could that have happened? Then again, sometimes she thought that their relationship worked so well because of the fact that they did things so differently.

Dani shifted next to her, staring at the paper with her face scrunched up, "What does it say? I know that that is Auntie Callie's name!" she proclaimed proudly, pointing her finger to the bottom of the page where Callie's signature was.

"It is. She left me this note because we became girlfriends a year ago, and we're going to celebrate later," she informed her, wondering what her girlfriend was up to for her "surprise" tonight.

The small dark head nodded slowly, "Okay. How come my grandma got really mad last night at dinner when you said that you and Auntie Callie kiss?"

Looking across the room, she narrowed her eyes in search of a thought for a good answer. Because your grandmother is a rude, unaccepting woman didn't seem like an appropriate answer. Neither did any of the other unfavorable things that came to her mind, so she chose her words carefully, "Because… some people… don't think it's right for girls to have girlfriends or boys to have boyfriends."

The complete confusion written all over the small, innocent face looking up at her was just too cute for words, "Why not?"

"Because…" this one was harder. See? Kids were inquisitive, "Because it's not what most people do, and sometimes people who are different have a harder time than other people."

Her words sunk in but the confusion didn't completely go away, "Oh." A few seconds went by before her face brightened, "Well, _I _think it's okay for girls to have girlfriends. I wish Dora was my girlfriend."

Arizona choked out a laugh, before a serious expression was sent her way, eyebrows knitting together in a way that reminded her so much of Callie, as if asking her why she was laughing at such a serious exclamation. She gamely tried to keep her face serious, but she just couldn't. Much like she just couldn't resist resting her hand on the top of that dark hair, "Well, then, I hope someday you find your Dora."

Dani seemed satisfied with that, and she nodded her head before getting up onto her hands and knees to crawl to the side of the bed and hop off, "And my mommy wanted me to tell you that breakfast was ready and to come downstairs. But _first_ I'm gonna show you my room."

Getting out from her side of the bed, she found her hand clasped in a small one, and was marched around the house, getting a very special tour.

She spent the day like that, with Dani and Aria, and she didn't see Callie until hours later, around sunset, as she waited outside, per instructions in a text message. It was with certainty that she could say that Callie's niece was her favorite kid she'd ever encountered, and she knew because she didn't feel the need to run away and get time alone, away from the child for nearly five hours after her day began. And that was a new record.

Luckily for her, that was when Callie's texts had started. About when to start getting ready – about an hour ago – and what to wear – casual dress appropriate for the weather, which was chilly with clear skies and only a slight chance of rain – and when to be outside – which was now.

So here she was, showered, dressed in jeans, a thin blue button up top, and a light black jacket, waiting outside of Felix and Aria's house as the sunset. A large, expensive black car with tinted windows pulled up a few feet away, and the passenger side one rolled down, revealing Callie's face, "Hey there, gorgeous. Need a ride?"

Chuckling, she opened the door and slid in, "Well, I was waiting for my girlfriend, but I think I can ditch her. Nothing special happening today or anything."

Callie's hands came up to cup her face, and they met each other in the middle of the seats, softly brushing together. A thumb stroked over her cheek as her girlfriend whispered, "Happy anniversary. I'm sorry I forgot."

"Belated anniversary," she corrected, bringing her hands up and taking Callie's in them, "It's all right, I forgot, too. It's a good thing we're both equally terrible to each other."

Callie disentangled one of their hands and reached back, behind the passenger seat, lifting up an arrangement of flowers. They were a bright, unique mixture of yellow and pink, and they were gorgeous. As she accepted them, her girlfriend started driving. They smelled fresh, and she had no idea where her girlfriend had found them, but she loved it.

They soon pulled up at a beach, sand coming up almost as far as to reach the tires of the car. While Callie parked, she placed the flowers back in the backseat and looked out at the waves. Her girlfriend got out and ran around to her side of the car, opening her door and offering a hand, "Milady."

A little confused as to what they were doing here, she held onto her hand, remembering to take the small bag she'd brought with her, as she hopped out. Callie led them near the water, where a blanket was set up, with a picnic basket on top. As she took it in, Callie bit her lip, "I know it's not anything special, but I remembered how you said you were excited to see the beach again, because you haven't had the time to even walk on the sand since before your intern year started in July, and I know it's not me in a bikini on the beach, but –"

Cutting her off, she shifted onto her tiptoes and press her lips against her girlfriends, "Calliope, I love it. I love you."

Her girlfriend's face lit up and she knelt down, opening the picnic basket, "I drove around all day to get this steak – it's honestly the best food you will ever eat in your entire life."

Callie kept talking, telling her about her adventures of the day, and Arizona slipped off her shoes, and sat down, watching her unpack the picnic basket in front of them. The food did look delicious, and she laughed along with the parts of Callie's story, like how the first few places she'd gone trying to find the best food and the best flowers had been thwarted. And as they ate – the food really was the absolute best thing she had ever tasted in her entire life – she couldn't stop just looking at Callie because she just _loved _her so much.

As Callie put their plates to the side, she finally noticed the look Arizona was giving her, "What?"

Shaking her head, she just smiled, "Nothing." Then she reached for the bag she'd made sure to grab, biting her lip, "I, um, I know I forgot yesterday to give this to you, but I bought it a few weeks ago for our anniversary. And I know we said we were just going to give Christmas presents instead of anniversary presents, but I just really wanted to give you this tonight."

Reaching inside, she pulled out the box, and handed it to her girlfriend who had a small smile on her face. She kept her eyes on her face, as Callie flipped it open, those brown eyes widened and her smile got bigger and bigger.

It was white gold to match her necklace, and thin, the rectangular face looking up at her had small stones that showed how understatedly expensive it was. Callie looked down at the open box, running her thumb over the side of the metal. Arizona leaned in, quickly explaining, "I know you haven't really ever expressed interest in a watch. But I just… when I'm at the hospital, I look down at mine – maybe twenty or thirty times per shift – and I count down how long it's going to be before I can go back to our apartment. Back to you."

"And this way I can look down at time and know exactly when you're coming back," Callie said back, her voice low. She had the most gorgeous smile on her lips as she leaned in, lightly brushing Arizona's.

Immediately, she tunneled her hand into the hair at the back of Callie's neck, gripping tightly, holding her where she was, as she opened her mouth, panting out a breath into her girlfriend's before dipping her tongue in and seeking out Callie's. The taste of her girlfriend mixed with the wine they were drinking was so incredibly heady, she felt drunk on it alone. Her hand that wasn't in her hair tugged on the hem of the Latina's shirt so it could slip underneath.

She started slowly, tracing soft circles up her stomach, urging her down onto her back on the blanket before covering her body with her own, her fingers playing with Callie's breast through the fabric of her bra before slipping inside when it wasn't enough, as she broke away, panting, "Why do you always have to wear a bra? It just serves to get in my way."

Callie's smile flashed and she just barely got a glimpse at it before she brought her lips down again, this time going to suck lightly at the skin right under her girlfriend's jaw. The hand that had been in her hair slid down, across to the front of her body and her fingertips hooked into the waist of her jeans, sliding back and forth against her skin, but not going any farther.

Feeling a hard nipple press into her palm, that control she had going on broke, and her hand went to the button of her pants before she felt her girlfriend grab her wrist to stop her, "Baby, wait," she managed to get out, as she shuddered underneath her lips, the feeling making Arizona simultaneously smile and feel a rush of arousal to her center.

Stilling but not removing her hands, she slid her lips up, so they rested right next to Callie's ear, "It's nighttime on Christmas Eve, on a beach. There's no one around. Why wait?"

Within seconds, she found herself on her back, breathless as her girlfriend's weight settled on top of her, while those dark eyes glinted down, "Because, I want to make you come first," she said, lowering her mouth, nipping at Arizona's clavicle, her hands coming up to unzip the jacket she was wearing.

Blue eyes snapped shut as need slashed through her. The cool air didn't – couldn't – even dim the heat she felt from the inside, even as nimble hands unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her flesh to the night. She forced her eyes open again as her breath panted quickly in and out; the sight of plump lips pressing down her stomach was enough to make her explode on the spot.

One of her hands went behind her to hold herself up, while the other reached down to tangle in Callie's hair, just able to weave her fingers in between the locks on the top of her head, above her ponytail. Her breath hitched and caught in her throat when those eyes, shining even in the darkness, glimpsed up for permission.

She gave it in a quick, desperate nod, already lifting her hips when long, tan fingers came up to undo her pants and tug them down. When they were slid off completely, the chill in the air giving her goose bumps, which amplified as full lips pressed against the skin on the inside of her knee, she brought her hand back down again, resting in Callie's hair.

The hand that she had holding her up threatened to give in, and she locked it at the elbow, as her girlfriend pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses against her inner thigh. A whimper came from the back of her throat as Callie's nose brushed against her clit, her lips tantalizingly close to where she really needed them.

A single finger came up and slid against her, running through her heat, only the fingertip dipping in, as Callie looked up at her, "I love how wet you are for me, all the time."

She grinded her hips down, and succeeded in making her girlfriend enter her deeper, but a disappointed groan fell from her lips when Callie pulled all the way out. Making eye contact with those dark brown ones, she could tell that Callie wanted her to talk, "Y-yes, Calliope. God, I always want you. All the time. Especially now."

Especially now, because they hadn't had sex in what felt like far, far too long. Six days ago, she'd been at work. Five days ago, her parents had arrived and had stayed for two nights, three days. Two days ago, she'd been at work again and they had been tense because of the marriage discussion, then they'd come to Miami and were in Callie's parent's house. And as if the complete lack of sex in almost a week wasn't enough to practically put her right on the edge of release already, last night they had showered together without any touching.

Because they were in a serious conversation, but even so, that seriousness didn't mean she hadn't desperately wanted to latch onto those rose-tipped breasts or that her eyes hadn't stayed focused on the neatly kept hair between her legs for longer than was appropriate for a serious conversation. And being naked and wet and soapy with Callie, no matter what the reason or the topic of discussion, was a big enough turn on to get her going and keep her going. Especially after six days.

A loud, primal moan tore out of her throat as her girlfriend's tongue flicked out and across her clit, her head falling back on her shoulders. A finger slid deep inside of her and she forced her head up, so she could watch. After another lap of that freaking amazing tongue, Callie slid a second finger in, working faster, making her hips jump up of their own accord.

Sliding her hand down, she got a grip on Callie's ponytail, uncontrollably shuddering as those fingers rubbed at the perfect spot inside of her, her mouth falling open as Callie pressed a kiss right against her hipbone, her voice low, "You know, the first time I had sex? It was on this beach. It was not good."

"Hmm," she moaned, which was all she could manage to get out as her girlfriend's fingers pressed even harder, barely moving anymore, and somehow tearing her apart from the inside out.

Callie's voice was low and rough, but still very much in control, "But I think it's a good trade off that I can have sex with you on this beach and make it good. Is it going to be good for you, baby?"

She just had no strength to hold herself up and she fell flat on her back, her hand holding impossibly tighter onto that dark hair, "So good," she grunted out, then used her grip to move Callie's face back down to where she needed it to be, the blood roaring in her head louder and louder, blocking out everything except for what her girlfriend was doing to her body as those lips wrapped around her clit.

Her orgasm was so close she could feel it and just before she could grab on and tumble over the edge, all of the sudden, her girlfriend's lips were gone and her fingers had stopped moving in that perfect way, and it wasn't until then that she felt flecks of wetness hitting her face, down the center of her body where her shirt hung open, and on her legs.

Callie spoke, her fingers starting to pull out, "Babe, Arizona, it's raining. We should –"

It took her all of three seconds to push Callie's face back to where she was, able to pant out, "Don't care. Keep going. So close," in disjointed sentences.

With a renewed vigor, Callie dove in her lips forming a tight circle around her clit, fingers rubbing hard, and it barely took another minute before all of her muscles tightened, her breath expelled from her lungs, and her entire world shook as her release crashed over her.

As time ticked by, she gradually let her grip in her girlfriend's hair loosen, then became aware of Callie removing her fingers. And as she pulled completely away, cold pelts of water from the sky started crashing down harder, the wind picking up, and now the cold actually affected her, shivering setting in. Still a little fuzzy from her orgasm, Callie was the one who got her pants back on, up to her knees, until she reached down and took over, pulling them the rest of the way up.

By the time her shirt was buttoned again – buttoned wrong – the rain was coming down even harder, slightly painful on impact. As she gathered her bearings, Callie's hands were on hers, pulling her up and starting a run toward the car.

Looking back, she yelled over the wind and the rain, "What about the blanket?"

She had to wipe her hand over her eyes to clear the water dripping over her face as she barely heard Callie yell back, "It had to be left behind for the greater good!"

Only then, during their sprint back to the car, did she realize… "What about my underwear?!"

A smile was thrown over a shoulder at her, "Those, too!"

When they reached the car, Callie had it unlocked and she surprised Arizona by holding open the back door. Just going with it, she climbed in, and her girlfriend practically fell onto her in her haste to get inside. As they pushed themselves up, giggling wildly, she lifted a hand and pushed back her wet hair, "Did we just leave everything on the beach? Even my shoes are still there!"

Callie looked out the window at the rain beating down, "Well. They're ruined now. But I didn't leave everything," she said, lifting her hand and placing the box with the watch in it carefully on the console in between the front two seats. Then she turned to look at her, dark eyes shining in mirth, "And _you_ were the one who said, and I quote, _don't care. Keep going_. Remember?"

With a sigh, she practically melted back into the seat. She was soaking wet, underwear-less and shoe-less, but it was completely worth it. So completely worth it, "Happy belated anniversary, Calliope."

Lips pressed a quick kiss against hers, "Merry Christmas Eve, Arizona."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Everyone who already does is super awesome, so thank you for that, and thank you for reading. **


	47. The First Time

There were only a total of two times that Arizona did not go to her scheduled hospital shift during the second half of her intern year. The first happened right after the holidays and was completely out of her control.

* * *

"Has anyone ever told you that you are legitimately the worst patient, ever?" Callie asked, but her voice was teasing.

Arizona couldn't help the pout that came up onto her face, "I am not," but her voice was hardly above a whispering croak.

Callie lifted both eyebrows, "Oh, really?"

Crossing her arms on top of the blankets she was tightly snuggled under, she nodded, "Really. I can think of at least… two other people who are worse. Tim and my dad."

Her girlfriend gave her a disbelieving, slightly exasperated look, "Arizona. Maybe you are not actually the world's single worst patient, but you are pretty bad. I don't care what you say or what arguments you might make, you are _not_ going to work today."

Huffing out her breath, she tried pushing her arms underneath her to help her sit up, "Calliope. I need to go to work. I already missed the last twenty hours of my last shift. I can't just stop going to work because of a little cold."

Callie uncrossed her arms to put her hands on her hips, "A little cold? You have the worst case of the flu I've ever seen in person. You want to go into the hospital today? Well you can try, but I will physically body block you. And it won't be hard because you can hardly sit up on your own." Her point was made as Arizona flopped back down, her strength in her arms giving out, "I'm going to call Dr. Hayden and tell her that you won't be in for rounds – or any other part of your shift, either."

Grumbling under her breath, she leaned back into the cushion of pillows propped up behind her. They were soft and comfy, and she logically knew she wouldn't be able to be up and about, working her thirty-six hour shift at the hospital today.

Feeling a coughing fit coming on, she quickly covered her mouth, listening as Callie finally reached Rachel via phone call in the next room over. Arizona had never missed a day of school in her entire life because of being sick. She wasn't a skipper, and she always felt so guilty when she didn't go. And that feeling of guilt was amplified right now, as she was missing _work_. She was a surgical intern, and she was missing work!

Taking in a deep breath as she finished coughing and caught her breath, she thought back on the last few days and how she ended up here, having to miss a day of work. She could trace it back to she and Callie's Christmas Eve and belated anniversary celebration.

After the unbelievable orgasm that Callie had given her on the sand of that beach, they had laid in the back of Felix's Mercedes Benz SUV for a few moments. Gathering her bearings just seemed so surreal; Callie had just given her quite possible the best oral sex she'd ever received.

A giggle started to work its way out of her mouth, interrupting the serious, intense moment of just _being_ that they were having. But she couldn't help it. When her girlfriend smiled at her, a confused, questioning smile, she simply laughed harder, "My shoes and my underwear are out on the beach. They are lying in the sand, ruined in the rain. You just went down on me on a public beach!"

Callie started laughing for a moment too before she paused and her eyebrows drew down, her mouth falling open, "Damn, I just remembered that you were wearing that deep red lacy pair. I really like those."

Her girlfriend's reaction just made her laugh even more, and she pushed herself to sit up completely, "I have the same pair in blue," she reminded Callie, a sly smile taking over her face, "And you like those ones better."

The backseat that they were sitting in was big enough for her to get up on her knees and swing one leg over Callie's, who simply raised her eyebrows, and then those dark eyes drifted lower, tracing down the skin of Arizona's chest that was soaked from the rain, to her shirt. She had buttoned it up in such a rush that the cups of her bra were poking out the top – not that they weren't completely revealed by the drenched shirt she was wearing over it – and the rise and fall of her chest seemed to have Callie completely captivated.

She loved the way her girlfriend looked at her, she thought, her smile turning less predatory and becoming softer. Callie's eyes always looked at her like she was the best thing in the world, and she knew she looked at Callie the same way. They had gotten past their crappy discussions about marriage and kids and even during those times, those brown eyes still looked at her this way.

Lifting her hands, she pushed back the dark hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. Excitement rushed through her again even though she was completely sated, just thinking about _how_ that hair had become so messy and mussed. Because her hands had dug into it, repeatedly, on her journey to coming.

Bringing her head down, she brushed their lips together, tasting herself and the rain on those full red ones. It was soft and she nuzzled their noses together for just a few seconds, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Callie whispered back, her hands tracing up the sides of Arizona's legs and resting on the backs of her thighs.

Flicking her tongue out to taste those lips again, she groaned, "I _really_ love you."

And before her girlfriend could say anything in response, she slid both of her hands to the back of her neck, digging in and holding on tightly, before she crashed her lips back down, this time not so soft at all. Their tongues dueled and she purely tasted herself there and those long, strong fingers now clamped down on her legs, holding tightly.

Those hips jumped out of the seat, trying to grind into Arizona, but she wanted to feel Callie come against her bare skin, not through their clothing. They kept their mouths attached in long, sloppy, open kisses as one of her hands stayed holding tightly to the back of Callie's neck and the other slid down, completing the journey she'd wanted to take earlier on the beach.

This time she didn't hesitate before slipping into the waist of Callie's pants, feeling her with her finger tips and absorbing her girlfriend's moan into her mouth before taking her hand away. Deftly, she unbuttoned the pants and slid the zipper down before slipping her hand inside her girlfriend's underwear, and into wet heat that pulsed around her. Detaching their lips, they both groaned into the heavy, moist air in the dark car, before both of their lips sought out each other's once more.

Her fingers moved as rapidly as they could, rolling her thumb over Callie's hard clit, loving the whimper that ripped out her girlfriend's throat every time she made that contact, the sound vibrating against her lips. When Callie dropped her head back against the headrest, her hips jerking upwards, Arizona dropped her head down, resting their foreheads together as her fingers started getting squeezed tighter and tighter.

Hands gripped the backs of her legs firmly, so incredibly firmly she thought she might have bruises the next day, and it drove her to go even faster, continuing to push as her girlfriend's head kicked back, and profanities fell from her lips.

And then it was over quickly, and she rubbed Callie gently, letting her come down from the sharp orgasm. Eventually, when the hands on her backs of her legs dropped to land on the seat, she pulled her hand from her girlfriend's center and gently lowered herself so she was sitting across her lap.

Her eyes were greedy as they watched Callie suck in deep breaths, watched those foggy eyes clear. A slow, satisfied smile crossed her girlfriend's lips, "That was… where did that come from?"

"I just really wanted to show you how much I love you. And when I taste myself on you, sometimes it just makes me want to take you, and make you come as fast as possible," she'd answered with a resounding kiss to Callie's lips.

Her girlfriend sighed against her, "Well, I don't think I'll ever complain about that. Felix and Aria might, if they ever knew that we just had sex in the back of their car like sixteen year olds."

"Sex on a public beach and sex while in the backseat of a car while in a parking lot… an interesting way to celebrate an anniversary," she grinned, simply because she felt like it was so them. The two of them together, their relationship, had been fairly unconventional thus far. It only seemed natural that their anniversary sex was in less than expected anniversary sex places.

Then the tickle in her nose came and she leaned back, turning her face into the crook of her elbow just in time to sneeze into it a few times. Shaking her head, she looked back at Callie, sniffling a little bit. Her girlfriend had reached up and scooped her hair back from her face, "What do you say we go home and get you out of your soaked clothes?"

By home, Callie had literally meant their home. They changed their flight to late that night, and Aria had driven them to the airport, and they had spent their first Christmas together in their apartment, where they still had their tree up. It had been a lazy day in which they had both slept in until almost noon, as they didn't get back to their apartment until past midnight. And then they'd watched A Christmas Story, twice, in which Callie had made her laugh by saying many of the lines along with the characters.

Their Christmas dinner consisted of delivered pizza which they ate in bed, and Callie had given her a bracelet that Arizona had seen when they were at the mall months before that and commented on how beautiful it was. It was the last day to a vacation that had started out as stressful, but ended wonderfully.

And then, all too soon, it was all over. The day after Christmas marked when her vacation was done for good. Three days off, and then it was back to the grind with a forty hour shift, she thought, as her alarm went off that morning, she swore it sounded louder than usual, as her head pounded. Her movements felt sluggish as she rolled over onto her side to slap down on the top of her clock and stop that horrible, horrible sound.

Her joints felt achy when she sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. It was still dark out, and normally things like that – waking up so early – really didn't bother her. Especially after nights like last night, when she and Callie had gone to sleep fairly early. Well, she had gone to sleep early, unable to keep her eyes open after nine o'clock. She'd been sitting between her girlfriend's legs, reclining back onto her softness as Callie herself had reclined back against the pillows.

After sleeping so late and lazing around all day, she normally wouldn't have been tired enough to fall asleep at nine. Yet, she found herself dozing off, her head falling against Callie's shoulder and turning slightly, resting in the curve of her neck and shoulder, lulled into sleep by the absolute warmth she felt from the blankets on top of her and Callie behind her.

Callie had woken her up, teasingly telling her that she was watching a Charlie Brown Christmas special because Arizona had insisted on it. In response, all she did was blearily look around, give her girlfriend a very sleepy smile, and snuggled back down.

And now her alarm was going off, so shrill, at five in the morning. Moaning as it made her head hurt, she shivered as soon as the air hit her skin as she slowly crawled out from the covers. Yawning widely, she closed her eyes… she didn't have to shower before her shift, really. No. An extra few minutes of sleep would probably be better, she thought, sniffling just a bit as her nose was feeling a little stuffed up.

So she threw the blankets back over herself, reset her alarm, and she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The next time she woke up, it was because Callie's low voice, gravelly with sleep, was in her ear, "Babe? Your alarm was just going off."

Blinking her eyes open now was even harder than it had been before, and she came face to face with her girlfriend, "What?"

Callie lifted an eyebrow, looking concerned, "Your alarm was just going off for like two minutes. Long enough for it to wake me up and not you. And you were snoring…"

She pushed herself up again, feeling attacked by shivers and sniffling again, feeling congested and a little insulted as she replied, "So? You snore, and I find it cute."

Callie lifted her eyebrows, a small smile on her face, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just commenting." Her eyes drew down Arizona's face, "Are you feeling okay?"

Her girlfriend ran her finger lightly up Arizona's arm, and the contact made her shiver even more, "I'm good," she said, her throat feeling just a little sore.

Now Callie was sitting all the way up, "You don't sound good." Sliding forward, she pressed the back of her hand against Arizona's forehead, and even though the blonde wasn't looking at her, she could hear the frown in Callie's voice, "You feel kind of warm."

Her eyes closed again of their own accord as she leaned into her girlfriend's warm touch. Tilting her face into the feeling, she sighed, "I'm really okay. Just a rough morning is all. I don't think I'm used to getting up for these long shifts again after all my time off," she joked, then before she could force out a laugh for Callie's benefit, a sneeze came out instead.

And then another, and another. At the end of it, she felt a little light-headed and a lot like she needed to blow her nose. "Maybe you should see if you can go in late?" Callie asked, her body heat coming close enough to Arizona's back and it felt so enticing, like she just wanted to lean back into those soft warm curves, and close her eyes again.

But she couldn't, and she was already running later than usual, so she ignored the aches in her muscles and pushed herself up, her world spinning just a little with the suddenness of her movement. Her hand went to rest on her stomach, which also revolted against any sort of movement.

"No, no. Don't be ridiculous; I've never been sick enough to miss a day in my life, Calliope, and I'm not going to start now. Not when it really matters," she'd mumbled before lethargically moving about the room to get ready for the next forty hours.

By the time she got to the hospital, she felt even worse. And grumpy to go with it. Her legs felt like jell-o as she walked to the coffee cart, needing the caffeine to stay awake. But when she got the cup of coffee in her hand, she couldn't even take a sip. The smell of it made her stomach churn in disgust. As she'd walked a few steps to the trash to throw it out, Rachel's voice came from behind her, "Wasting a perfectly good cup of coffee this early in the morning? Are you crazy?"

She and Rachel had been getting along well recently, but hearing her commentary when she was already in an abnormally bad mood just got on her nerves, "I must be," she growled before turning to face her boss.

Eyes behind those glasses widened comically as they scanned over her features, "Robbins… Arizona, are you all right?"

Lifting her hands up, she scooped her hair off her neck, suddenly feeling very hot while still cold, and her hand shook a little as she pulled the elastic off her wrist and pulled her hair into a low ponytail, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

The resident regarded her with a little weariness, but accepted her answer, "I was just wondering, because you look kind of bad. I don't mean – you look… you're really pale. And your voice sounds a little off. But if you say you're fine, then by all means, let's get on our way to the emergency room. We have a nice post-Christmas rush already starting to come in this morning."

Arizona couldn't help but notice how their role reversals were so clear this morning. She was a grumpy gills, whereas Rachel was peppy. Almost creepily peppy. It was weird. And it kind of scared her, "What got into you this morning?"

A look was given to her out of the corner of her bosses eye, a genuinely happy look that reminded her much more of the med student she had hooked up with once upon a time at Hopkins than the woman she had come to get to know as her resident. For a second, Rachel seemed like she was deliberating whether or not to say something before she let out a happy sigh, "I was just thinking about how much I like your girlfriend."

Now that just stopped her dead in her tracks, the confusion that made her feel mixing with the headache that was already starting in a storm behind her eyes was practically unbearable, "What?" Because Rachel had never expressed anything other than a reluctant acknowledgement of the fact that she even had a girlfriend at all, let alone saying something like proclaiming how much she liked her.

Rachel stopped walking, to look at her, "Callie, last week, she gave this woman my number. She set us up, kind of, I guess. And we went out last night and it was really great."

Narrowing her eyes and shaking her head a little bit just trying to clear the terrible feeling brewing inside of it, she tried to wrap her mind around Hayden's words, "Who?"

"Natalie Davis," she answered, the words practically sung out into the air in a cheerful lilt.

Arizona felt a laugh come up and didn't bother to stop it. Callie hadn't told her that she was actually going to try to set them up; Arizona had been convinced that it was just one of the things Callie said while inebriated and would forget about it. Then she remembered how that night, Callie had told her that Natalie and Rachel would work because they were like the junior varsity team compared to their varsity. The B-list star to their A-list. For some reason, the idea that Natalie and Rachel could work seemed very possible, and yet, it made her laugh.

But Rachel seemed to take offense, "What are you laughing at?"

Shaking her head, she continued on her way to the ER, still laughing. Her smile only disappeared as she felt another sneeze attack coming on, and when it passed, it left her with an even worse headache. Her stomach sank as she got to the emergency room and saw how full it was; she really needed to find some Advil. Stat.

And as the day went by, it – her headache, sore throat, stomachache… basically whole body ache – got nearly unbearable, especially when she reached her twenty-two hour without sleep mark. She had turned to go get some more latex gloves from the supply closet after treating what seemed like minor problem after minor problem.

As she'd spun on her heel, that was when her world had started to spin on its axis, and the next thing she knew was that she had woken up in a hospital bed, an IV sticking out of her arm, and Callie was sitting at the side of her bed. Worry was carved into her girlfriend's face, and Arizona tried to get her attention by saying something, but when she opened her mouth, words felt like they were slicing her throat open when they were supposed to start coming out.

Instead, she made a strange grunting moan sound that even she didn't recognize and the sound of it hurt her own head, but it got her goal accomplished. Callie looked up at her, those dark brown eyes digging right into her, "You're up!" her confusion must have been palpable, because Callie explained, "You fainted, a little while ago in the ER. Baby, you have the flu. Really bad."

Her throat wasn't working enough for her to say anything back, so she just had to listen as her girlfriend's face immediately turned sour, "Arizona Robbins! You told me yesterday that you were feeling "good" and you insisted on going to work. You freaking lost consciousness! Do you know how scary it is to get a phone call that says your girlfriend collapsed at work and was admitted into the hospital?"

After a few drinks of water, Arizona had been able to croak out words in response. Rachel had come in and told her that under no circumstances was she going back to work for the rest of her shift. It was over halfway over anyway, so Arizona didn't feel _terrible_ about that. But then Callie was resistant about having her discharged, and all she wanted to do was to go home, back to their bed and sleep.

Though she found Callie's complete concern for her wellbeing adorable, it took a while before she could convince her that she wouldn't die if she went home for the rest of her shift. So her girlfriend had taken her home, made sure she was taking meds to make her more comfortable, and had kept her hydrated, as well as set up an extremely comfortable lounge of pillows around her in their bed. But that was two days ago, and now she felt… better. Maybe not a lot, but at least a little.

When her girlfriend returned from calling her out of work, she looked smug, "Rachel said they didn't expect you to come in today, anyway, and to get better as soon as possible. Being treated by a sick doctor really isn't conducive to health, is it?" she teased, walking up to the side of the bed.

Arizona stuck her tongue out, "I wouldn't be sick at all, if it weren't for you."

Callie raised her eyebrows, "Oh, really?"

Quickly, she nodded, "Mhmm, you were the one who was giving me such an amazing orgasm that I didn't care that I was getting pelted with cold rain on my naked body."

Her girlfriend let out a low laugh, "Do you want me to apologize for that? Or remind you that I didn't really have the option to stop when you were holding me in place?"

Even though she literally had zero energy for something as strenuous as having sex, a tingle still went through her body at the thought, "No apologies." Because while she really did hate being sick, hated missing work, their belated anniversary had been worth it.

She managed to scoot forward just a little bit, giving Callie enough space to climb in behind her, much like she had at Christmas. As comfortable as lying in a nest of pillows was, lying against her girlfriend was a lot more comfortable. She sighed against her neck, already missing her ability to smell due to her complete congestion.

Dark eyes watched over her shoulder what she had put on their television screen, "What is this?"

She turned her head back to look, "It's this show where these people –" a cough set interrupted her, then a sneeze, and Callie already offered her a tissue which she used before going back to explain, " – meet someone online and have been talking to them for a really long time, but the other person is never willing to actually meet or even video chat. So they contact this guy to find out if their online lover is real."

"Sounds… creepy," Callie said, though she was already clearly engrossed. They watched in silence for a few minutes, before Callie spoke again, "This is ridiculous. _Obviously_ that person is not a model and singer in real life. These people who believe what these – these catfish say are just stupid!"

A raspy laugh made it's way out of her throat and she reached her hands down, running them lightly over Callie's forearms that were wrapped around her waist, before coming to settle on her hands, "You know, by your logic, if you found me online, I wouldn't believe you were real."

Wide brown eyes looked at her, slightly offended, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes, "Because you look the way you look, and you're in the most prestigious medical program in the country, and you're funny," her voice dropped to an even lower whisper, barely above the sound of her breathing, and she swiped her thumbs over that silky soft skin under her hands, "You're perfect. And I wouldn't have believed that existed."

Feeling a vibration of a laugh rumbling out of Callie against her back, she relaxed into the light press of lips against the clammy skin right behind her ear, as her girlfriend whispered, "I guess by my own logic, I wouldn't have believed you existed, either."

* * *

The second time was not nearly as pleasant as the flu.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you for the patience in getting up this chapter, you guys are the best. And thank you to those of you who have already started reading Fractured, I greatly appreciate that as well. Thank you for reading!**


	48. Johns Hopkins

The second time she missed work, it was months later and it was because she left in the middle of a shift. The day had started out good. She had assisted Rachel in a surgery, putting her two steps ahead of the competition she and Karev had going on. By four hours into her shift, she'd already scrubbed in and out and, as she'd promised to help Hayden out with the massive amount of charts she had piled up, she was possibly going to get on Dr. Caldwell, the pediatric surgery attending's, service.

So, her day was going good. As far as her shifts could go, it was the outlook of a shift that could end up being great. And then she had gone outside to take a quick break, and during that quick break, she decided to call Callie, who had been strangely silent for the last few hours.

It was nearly eight at night, and typically around six or seven – dinner time – her girlfriend would send her a text. But tonight there was no text, so she was just going to see if everything was going all right. Callie had midterms coming up, so it was extremely possible that she was just too focused on her school work and studying and whatnot, got wrapped up in it, and forgot to text.

But when her call rang all the way through with no answer, that was when she became just the slightest bit concerned. Assuring herself that it could be for any reason, including the midterms studying, she decided to call just one more time for good measure before she went back inside to finish her shift.

And Callie answered that time. Finally. And Arizona finally learned the reason behind the silence.

* * *

"Robbins, where the hell have you been?" she heard Rachel's voice demand from her as she quickly walked past the nurses' station where her resident stood with the pile of charts Arizona was supposed to be working on with her, but she didn't have it in her to stop her determined march toward Chief Tamas's office.

Both of her hands were clenched into fists, tightly, nails digging into her palms painfully. One of them reached up, almost like it had a mind of it's own, and pounded on the closed door, tapping her foot impatiently waiting for a response.

Her heart was beating so loudly in her ears it made her feel a little bit light headed. As soon as the chief's voice rang out, "Come in," muffled through the door, her hand was already on the knob, turning and bursting in.

"What were you thinking?" the words burst out from her mouth as her hands found purchase on her hips, and she found herself standing just a foot in front of the chief of surgery.

The older woman stared up at her in surprise, "Excuse me?"

Normally, that tone coming from a source of authority would make her automatically freeze, rethink what the hell she was doing or saying, and then the tears would start. But not right now.

Repeating herself slowly, she narrowed her eyes, "What. Were. You. Thinking. Do you understand what you did? Do you even know?"

In response, her bosses head shook slowly and she planted her hands on the desk, slowly pushing herself out of her chair, "Dr. Robbins. You cannot march into my office, yelling at me and making accusations out of thin air."

She tried to take in a deep breath to calm down, but she really couldn't, "I am not making accusations out of thin air. The letters were received today," she said, waiting for the chief to catch on.

However, Tamas just shook her head slowly, "Letters?"

Running her hand through her hair, she clarified, "The letters, for the new interns. Letters telling people where they've been committed to for next year. Letters informing the senior students in medical school what hospital they'll be doing their residency at."

The older woman's eyes narrowed, "Make your point, Robbins, and make it fast."

"You messed up your opportunity to have one of the best students at the best medical school to come here for her residency," she bit back, her throat feeling like it was being burned with the words.

A knowing look came across, "Ah. So you know someone who wanted to come here and didn't get in. Do you understand that this is completely inappropriate behavior from what I expect from all of my surgical staff, let alone you. I –"

"No. No, this isn't my girlfriend who is missing out on this program – this is your program missing out on my girlfriend. She is the third in her class at Harvard Medical School; she gets better grades in all of her classes than _I_ did. She… she…" all of the sudden it was as if all of the bravado, the anger, the – the every emotion that had that had been covering up her sheer panic and unhappiness and fear seemed to melt away and she was left breathing heavy, unable to find the air she needed to take in.

Crossing her arms across her chest to try to reign herself in, she shook her head, a lump rising in her throat, while her bosses eyes narrowed at her, "What is your girlfriend's name?"

"Calliope. Torres. Calliope Torres," she repeated, watching as Tamas walked to a filing cabinet and pulled out a middle drawer, walking her fingers over the files before settling on one and pulling it out.

"Torres," she murmured, opening it and nodding, "Ah, I remember her." Her eyes cut to the blue ones that were focused on the folder.

Arizona's legs moved of their own accord, so she was looking down at her girlfriend's applicant file as well, "Do you see this?" she said, her voice harsh, as she brought her finger up and poked it down onto the piece of paper that highlighted all of her girlfriend's awesomeness.

Chief Tamas's head slowly nodded, "Yes." She closed the file and slid it back into place, "I told you, I remember that application. It was quite impressive; she has remarkable grades and outstanding recommendations. Her letter from Dr. Webber was almost as incredible as the recommendation he wrote for you."

As her heart rate started to slow down again, the last few minutes replayed in her head. Hearing her own words that she'd forcefully yelled at her _boss_ – not even a resident, but the Chief of surgery… and then her vision started to go blurry. Lifting her hands up, she quickly started to wipe at her eyes, cursing her stupid authority problems. While she wiped at her eyes, she inhaled sharply, "So if you remember her and that she was so amazing, why didn't you take her?"

"Because she grew up privileged. We don't want to have that as our reputation, that we only accept people who grew up privileged. It's not just about grades and recommendations for me, when I decide with the board who is going to be accepted. It's also about character and hard work. Do you know another application I remember? Yours. And you grew up in a military family; your essay spoke of strength. It was a big aspect of your acceptance here," Tamas told her, then reached to her desk to hand her a tissue.

She accepted it, but held it tightly in her hand, "I'm – I'm not… you don't know Callie. She is strong. She has character and strength and… you missed out on a good thing. _You_ are missing out," she said, her tone more vicious than she intended, but she couldn't help it.

And then her tears started coming faster, heavier, and she could tell that these tears were transitioning from tears purely coming from her issues with talking to people who had authority over her, and into the kind of tears that were happening because her girlfriend was going to be leaving her.

Tamas nodded slowly, "I understand that you're upset over this, and I'm sure that this Torres is a great, smart woman. And even with my reservations about her privileged background, she was still in the running until I made the very last, final cuts. But Hopkins put up a _fight_ for her, and there were other extremely qualified students who I think will do very well here."

Shaking her head, she bit her lip, "I have to… I can't," she managed to get out before she turned on her heel and left the office just as suddenly as she came.

She made her way to the spot that she and Karev had found, months ago. A quiet spot that almost no one ever came to because hardly anyone knew of it's location. Her arms locked tightly around her waist and she bit hard down onto her bottom lip. This was _not_ what she had envisioned for Callie's first year as an intern.

Worst case scenario, she had imagined Callie coming here, to Mass Gen with her, and that she would have to be her resident. It was something she had both dreaded and kind of hoped for. After such limited time together this year, if she was Callie's resident, they would be together so, so much. And it would have been awesome.

But then she had worried that her other interns would find out about them being together – they weren't exactly secretive. Callie didn't even work here, and the doctors here already knew who she was and of their relationship status. And it was because of both she and Callie's professional reputations that she'd been nervous that her girlfriend might be put on her service. However, _now_, she was wishing that could be the case.

"Robbins," Rachel's voice came sharply from behind her, "I thought you were trying to work hard today to get on Caldwell's service. You know what's not conducive to hard work? Disappearing, then yelling at the chief of surgery."

Keeping her back to the resident, she bit her lip and drew her shoulders up straight. Clearing her throat, she nodded, "I know."

Rachel came up behind her, but her voice wasn't actually _mad_, Arizona realized, as she bounced slightly, "It's fine. I can get the charts done myself, and I'll still see what I can do with Caldwell. So, what are you and Callie doing tomorrow night, after our shifts end? Natalie called earlier and she got in to Beth Israel. It's pretty awesome, and she wants to go out. We were wondering if you two wanted to maybe come out and celebrate –"

"Callie is going to Hopkins. Baltimore, she's committed to Baltimore," her head fell forward and her forehead hit the brick wall while she squeezed her eyes tightly closed.

Her resident fell silent after a soft, "Oh." A few moments passed between them before she asked, "What are you guys going to do?"

Closing her eyes tightly because more tears wanted to come, she shook her head lightly, "I don't – we don't – know. I just found out."

What were they going to do? Feeling frustrated, she lifted her head and banged it down once; how come it seemed like the universe didn't want them to be together? They started out and it took them five months to actually _date_. They wanted different things in life, marriage and kids… and fucking Natalie and Rachel, who had been together now for less than three months, seemed to have it so easy.

"Why don't you take the rest of your shift off?" Rachel's voice edged out, unsure.

With a deep breath, she stood up straight, "No. I don't need… I don't like to miss work. It's my shift, I can be here and finish it."

The brunette now came to stand beside her, folding her arms over her chest, "If you stay here, are you going to be thinking about the patients whose charts you'll be filling out? Or are you going to be thinking about Callie?"

She didn't answer out loud because she felt like the answer was obvious and the question was rhetorical. A gentle hand fell on her shoulder, lightly, "Go home."

Which was why she found herself out of work, walking in to she and Callie's front door in the very middle of a shift she was supposed to be working. The only time she'd left anything – a class or a job – before it was all completed was when she had the flu and passed out. That was beyond her control. Then again, this was beyond her control, too, wasn't it? She wasn't the one who had placed her girlfriend states away for the next five years.

Five. Years.

A shuddering breath rushed through her and she shook her head. Her throat felt raw despite the fact that she had stopped crying nearly an hour ago, as she called out into the dark apartment, "Calliope?"

A few seconds ticked by before she heard Callie's response, confused, "Arizona?"

It was coming from the bedroom, and she quickly made her way there, pausing in the doorway as she saw dark, questioning eyes staring up at her from the bed, where her girlfriend was buried under mountains of blankets. Those dark eyes were glassy and she felt her heart do that little flip flop she'd learned it did whenever she saw tears in her girlfriend's eyes. As she toed off her shoes and started taking off her jacket, she managed a small smile, "Has anyone ever told you that you are the world's prettiest crier?"

Those eyes rolled at her, "No one is a pretty crier, Arizona."

Sighing, she crawled into the bed, sliding under the many covers Callie had bundled herself under, whispering, "Well, clearly, you've never looked at yourself in the mirror before."

Her girlfriend scoffed, and turned her head to face her, "I thought your shift didn't end until tomorrow afternoon? I was prepared to lie in bed all alone tonight and wonder what the hell we were going to do."

Arizona slid in closer, "I left work, so you don't have to sit in here and wonder alone." Against her hip, she felt Callie's hand, and heard a crinkling sound. Confused, she reached her hand down, and took the piece of paper that was being gripped in her girlfriend's hand.

It was the letter that had delivered her fate – their fate. She skimmed her eyes over it, seeing the congratulatory words that seemed so contradictory to how they actually felt.

Her girlfriend's voice, low and gravelly, spoke as she looked up at the ceiling, "It's four hundred miles away." She turned her head, the dark eyes seeking out light blue ones, "From Boston to Baltimore, I looked it up… it's four hundred miles away."

Arizona knew it full well, "I know."

Lying back on a propped up pillow, she carefully placed the letter down on the bedside table and gestured for her girlfriend to roll over, which she readily did, her hips falling between the blonde's open legs, her head falling down to rest on Arizona's chest. She closed her eyes slightly, just wanting to feel the closeness, loving the way Callie's warm breath floated over her skin.

That low voice spoke against her chest, "I want to be happy about this. I really want to be happy."

Blue eyes squeezed closed, "You should be happy, Calliope. Hopkins is a _great_ program, and you deserve to be happy about it."

Silence fell over them, and Callie's hands slid under her shirt, fingertips sliding up against soft, pale skin, thinking about earlier today. Arizona had left to go to the hospital for her shift just after lunch, and right afterwards she'd gotten a call from Addison, whose voice was high with excitement, "Did you get your mail yet?"

Neither she nor Arizona had gotten the mail earlier, so she had gotten up and done it. And had found what her friend was so thrilled about. The letter, the letter that was going to tell her of her future, the letter she had been waiting for since she was a child. Getting the letter telling you where you were going to be a surgeon was what she imagined it was like to receive a letter from Hogwarts. It made your life so much better.

She, Addison, and Mark had all agreed to meet up and open the letters at the same time, and for some reason it didn't occur to her to be nervous. Maybe it was because every achievement she sought after in her life, academically, she had done so well on. Her study tips and tricks were renowned. Her papers and thesis were flawless. It did not occur to her that she wasn't going to get into her number one choice for residency programs.

Which was Massachusetts General Hospital. It was where Arizona worked, it was in the town she had lived in for the last eight years, and it was the best hospital in the nation. And she was in the best med school in the nation, and doing really well, so it never… occurred to her, at all.

When they had met up at Joe's, they all took one good luck shot – it was what they had done when they were in undergrad and they had all applied to go to Harvard Med. When they all got the letters in the mail, they met at Joe's and took a shot, and then ripped open their envelopes. It had been nerve-wracking then, and today she was less nervous even though there was so much more at stake.

Mark had gone first, opening it, then exclaiming, "New York Pres!" before downing his second shot, this time in celebration rather than preparation.

They both gave a little cheer, and then Addison went next, "Brigham and Women's," she had read, her voice belying her excitement. As soon as her second shot was downed, both of her friends looked at her and started drumming their hands against the table.

"All right, all right," she'd placated with a smile, just so sure… then she'd ripped it open, pulled out the letter expecting to see some sort of welcome to Mass Gen. Only to be face with a "Congratulations on your acceptance into the John Hopkins surgical residency program!"

It felt like her world had stopped spinning, and everything was zoomed in on that Johns Hopkins. She was being sent to Baltimore, committed to a five year residency program so far away from where her girlfriend was going to be, here committed to her own residency in Boston.

Five. Years.

And she didn't know how to say it to Arizona. She hardly knew how to process the information herself, let alone call her girlfriend and tell her. So later on, when she'd gotten the blonde's first phone call, she had known why she was calling; because Callie didn't text her like she normally did. She was afraid if she started a conversation, even one through text, the news would come spilling out of her.

But when Arizona had called again, ignoring her made Callie's heart hurt, so she had answered, sighing quietly, "Hey."

The blonde's voice had been so concerned, "Hey, are you all right? Don't bury yourself too much in all your midterms and books, okay? Just take some time to breathe and get some sleep, too."

She'd been sitting on their living room couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table, still trying to wrap her mind around everything, "Yeah, no… I'm not studying anymore. I took… a break." She'd been taking a break since she opened this letter.

"Well that's good –" Arizona had started to say, and that was all she could get out before the Johns Hopkins on the head of the letter she had in her lap seemed to magnify in her vision.

And then the words just came out, "I got my letter today, telling me where I've been accepted to for residency."

It was as though she could hear her girlfriend's bright, dimpled smile come up on to her face through the phone. She knew the exact way Arizona's exhale sounded when that smile came onto her face, and that was the sound she made, "Calliope, this is so exciting! Congratulations, baby!"

Tipping her head back, she brought up her hand to rub at her eyes. Apparently, it didn't occur to her girlfriend that she wouldn't have gotten in to her first choice, either. After having to clear her throat twice, she shook her head, "Arizona, I – I didn't… I won't be doing my residency at Mass Gen. I didn't get in."

That hung between them for just a few seconds before Arizona spoke slowly, "Well, that's okay. There's always Brigham and Women's, and even Beth Israel. They're both in Boston and really good programs."

Both in Boston. Because that was where they lived, together, and were starting to build a life. Where they had been together for over a year, and now she had to leave. Feeling tears spring to her eyes – again, though she'd managed to stop them a little over an hour ago – she swallowed hard, "No, Arizona, I… um, I didn't even apply to them. I was so sure I was going to get in to Mass Gen, and I only applied to one other school."

But of course, after the blonde thought about it for a second, she remembered that she had been there during Callie's application process in the fall, and her voice was hardly more than a whisper, "Hopkins."

"Yeah," she'd breathed out. And in the minute that followed, Arizona disconnected the phone line, saying a hurried – what sounded like a very angry – excuse that she had to go.

And now here she was, Callie thought, rubbing her face against her soft skin right below her girlfriend's neck, breathing her in. She left work, which she never, ever did, in order to make Callie feel better. And probably try to make it better for herself, too.

"I would be happy," she admitted, her voice raspy, "I would be happy about Hopkins if we weren't together. It's a great school, and I've been waiting for this my entire life. But I can't be happy, or at least, I can't without feeling guilty, because I'm leaving you. And I don't want to leave you," she got out, the back of her throat burning with the tears she was keeping in.

She felt Arizona's hands climb up, into her hair, massaging her scalp gently, and then felt the chest under her head let out a shuddering breath. Then another. And another, until minutes past, and finally the blonde spoke, "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to apply for a transfer application to go back to Hopkins and see if I can get in to their residency program. I mean, I was there for seven years, so I'm sure I could get back in."

Lifting her head up, she looked down at the solemn face looking back at her. And she let out a deep breath, "No. Arizona, no. Mass Gen is the _best_ and they have a better pediatric field than Hopkins, and you deserve the best. You deserve that. You want that."

Her girlfriend bit her bottom lip, "What I want and deserve is you. And, I'm sorry, but we're not breaking up, and we're also not going to spend the next five years apart. Because I don't believe in long distance relationships, but because you're you and I'm me, then we get through it for a little bit, maybe the first year. _But not five_. What else is there to do?"

Closing her eyes, she answered, "I'll transfer. That makes more sense, doesn't it? I'll go to Baltimore for my intern year, and I'll be the fucking best intern they've ever had, and I'll reapply to Mass Gen in a year, to transfer."

Those hands in her hair urged her back down, stroking lightly, "Calliope, I transferred away from Hopkins to get away from the woman I thought I loved. I can and will absolutely transfer back to be with the one that I love more than anything."

But all she did was shake her head, "I don't know. I just… I don't want to be without you. It was hard enough not seeing you for your long shifts, but now… we're never going to see each other." Just saying the words and knowing exactly how true they were made her stomach ache.

Arizona's voice was a little ragged as she said quietly, "We'll figure it out. We always figure it out."

Pale fingers stroked through the dark hair that was sprawled across her chest for a few more minutes, trying to… figure it out. Even if one of them transferred, Arizona knew, it would take a year for the application process to be reviewed and accepted. That was a year that they had to figure out, either way they looked at it.

When Callie blew out a breath, she looked down to see annoyed dark brown eyes look up at her, "Fucking Natalie and Rachel," Callie breathed against her neck, which made her laugh, thinking about how she had the exact same thoughts earlier, "Why does their little baby relationship get to be so easy, huh? We fight to be together, and we overcome obstacles, and there they are, frolicking in a sea of dandelions."

The absolute bitterness in her voice and hearing Callie say the words "sea of dandelions" made Arizona giggle, despite the terrible mood and atmosphere that settled over them, scooping her hands into dark hair and just… holding. Holding Callie's head against her chest as she vibrated with laughter, "Because you were the one who said it, months ago. They're the B-list love story movie people are going to watch on Netflix. We're the story people are going to see in the movie theater. No one is going to pay to see the couple in the sea of dandelions."

Callie settled back down against her chest, resting her ear right over her heart, "I suppose so." Her fingers stroked lightly down Arizona's sides, "I'm moving to Baltimore. In three months, my residency is going to start in a place that's four hundred miles away from you."

Feeling her eyes fill again, she closed her eyes tightly, her hands clasping at that dark hair again, keeping Callie's head right above her heart, "I know."

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Also, this is the second to last chapter for this story... the next will be the last. Then will come the sequel! Thank you for reading!**


	49. Love Is Enough

Today was the day she had been looking forward to for twenty years. Today was the day that she was going to walk across that hallowed mahogany stage and she would become a doctor. In just a few hours, she was going to be Dr. Calliope Iphigenia Torres.

The teasing that she had endured in high school for her geekiness and love of science classes, the nights she had stayed in studying instead of going out and partying with her freshmen year undergrad roommate, and the sleepless, painful hours she had spent slaving over textbooks and late night study sessions… it all paid off this afternoon, when she would walk across the stage at her commencement ceremony and receive that degree.

Ever since she and Aria had been playing in their mother's rose gardens, when she was seven and her little sister was six. They were in the center of the extremely well kept garden, in which a large circular terrace contained built in marble benches, each one several feet away from the next. Felix, being the oldest at eight years old and the only boy in their trio, challenged them to be able to jump from one bench to the next.

He had attempted, and failed. Then Callie herself tried, and failed. And then Aria, a full head shorter than both of the older kids, had stood a far distance back on one bench, eyeing the other one, before she ran in an all-out sprint, ending on a leap. Callie and Felix had watched in amazement as the little pixie of a girl seemed to fly through the air, legs flailing as if they were still running.

Only to fall short of the desired bench by inches, her landing disastrous, with one kicking foot catching on the edge of the bench, the other twisting painfully beneath her. All of the sudden, Aria was screaming and blood was pooling on the ground. Felix ran for their mother, and Callie stayed with her.

While they all waited for an ambulance, Lucia had taken the youngest girl in her arms, turning her so that she was lying on her back and Felix had held her hand. And Callie… she had stood, absolutely transfixed as her little sister's bone was visible. The way her leg had twisted under her broke her leg in two places and the _bone_ was sticking out.

She couldn't stop staring. She and her mother had ridden in the ambulance and the entire way, she watched carefully the EMT's hands as they worked to help her sister. Throughout her sister's many doctors' appointments over the next few months, she went to every single one of them. Without understanding a word what the doctor was saying, without understanding what the x-rays meant, she was transfixed.

That was it for her. She might not have been able to fully grasp what all of the technical medical things meant, but she knew that the bones her sister had broken were what made her able to walk correctly. Bones held humans together, they let them walk and talk and – and do everything. And when they broke, doctors _touched_ them and _fixed_ them.

Today was the day that she was going to be a doctor. She – she was going to be able to touch and fix bones – people.

Today was also the day that marked the last day that she and Arizona could hide behind any sort of excuses to not think about the reality that was going to be on them in just over a month. And during that month, Callie was going to have to make herself several trips to and from Baltimore.

The reality was that she was going to be living four hundred miles away while the woman she loved would be living here. The reality was that their relationship had been strained when Arizona had started her residency, while they had both lived in the same city. The reality _sucked_.

So there were twin peaks inside of her, one that was long standing and tall and powerful, that rushed through her veins. She was so proud of herself and happy and relieved that this day was here and that all of the hard work she had put in was worth it. Everything she had done over the years, was _worth it_.

But then there was that feeling that laced in with the pride and the happiness and excitement. That feeling of the reality of the relationship she had painstakingly built in the last two years with Arizona, completely changing.

As music pumped through the bedroom, and she stared at herself in the mirror, she shook her head. The last two months had been spent with both of them living in a purposeful ignorance of the impending fate life had delivered to them: what was the point in constantly talking about it, bringing it up when nothing they did or said was going to change the basic fact that there was no way around Callie leaving?

Her residency was at Johns Hopkins. It was at a world renowned hospital and she couldn't deny that there was, in that tower of happiness and pride inside of her – she had gotten into one of the best medical residency programs there was. It was a good thing.

But whenever she got excited about it, actually excited, she remembered that the mornings where she woke up with her face buried in soft blonde waves and a talented, deft hand cupping her boob were gone. That going to bed after feeling her girlfriend inside of her and herself inside of her girlfriend, were over. That those bright, cerulean eyes that positively _lit_ up when she had a story to tell or when she would quietly whisper _I love you_, sincerity laced into her tone, weren't going to be looking at her every day.

And then she felt gutted.

Sighing, she shook her head at herself in the mirror and reached her hands up to muss her hair a bit, preparing the curls she'd put into the dark locks for the graduation cap that would be donning them soon.

Suddenly, the music she'd been playing, the powerful love ballads by Latino singers of the years before her birth that her mom had played while she'd been growing up, cut off. Jumping, she turned around, her mouth falling open at the sight of Arizona leaning against the doorway, her arms crossed, wearing a white sundress and a smile.

Her stomach flipped as a grin broke out over her own face – then dimmed a little, because she realized there weren't going to be times like this soon. Because they wouldn't be living together.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she drank in the sight of her girlfriend, who looked really fucking fantastic, "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes darted to the clock of their own accord, just to make sure that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, and it really was still an hour before she had to be at graduation. Arizona's shift had been scheduled until later this afternoon, right after the commencement ceremony was supposed to end, actually.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth falling open playfully, "Calliope, did you really think I was going to miss your graduation? I pulled some strings and got some things switched around."

Pure delight slid through her and she crossed the room to lace her fingers with Arizona's, pulling her up for a hard, fast kiss, because whenever she thought about the upcoming residency that was bearing down on them, it made her desperate for Arizona's touch and taste. And then she pulled back, running her eyes down her girlfriend's body, the dress fabric and cut making her look… kind of like a goddess, "You look amazing. This was definitely pre-planned," she said slowly, giving the blonde a suspicious look.

Arizona lifted her eyebrows in that way that made her look adorably guilty and innocent at the same time, "First of all, _I_ look amazing?" Blue eyes ran down her body, making her shiver as they darkened just a little bit, "And second of all, of course it was pre-planned; my shift was changed two weeks ago. My awesomely brilliant girlfriend is graduating today!"

Callie narrowed her eyes as the blonde's white teeth dug into her full bottom lip and her hands started to shake just for a second before Arizona pulled back and disconnected them, "What's going on?"

Her girlfriend's mouth opened and closed once, then twice, and her eyes were darting around the room, avoiding looking at Callie, before her shoulders, the creamy skin of them revealed by the filmy, soft straps of her dress, slumped just a little bit, "I was going to – this was all going to be a surprise!"

Lowering her eyebrows in confusion, she shook her head, "You coming to my graduation is a surprise. I'm glad I was spoiled by seeing you early." Because really, every moment they could spend together in the last month was a moment both of them had been taking full advantage of.

But Arizona shook her head, "No, not just… the beginning of the surprise was going to be me at your graduation, but there was more. There _is_ more. But I don't want it to wait, because – we need to talk. We can't keep not talking about it."

Here it was, she thought, her heart sinking down into her stomach, and the combination of the two made her feel like she was going to be sick. They had so steadfastly avoided talking about what they were going to do, "Can't we at least not talk about it for one more night? Just this one more night," she said, and she couldn't help the begging tone her voice took on.

She wanted one more night where she didn't feel like she was going to have to be separated from her girlfriend for reasons out of their control. A night where she could just be happy about graduating from medical school and where they could go out and have dinner with her dad, and her sister's family, and Arizona's parents. A night where she could come home and touch her girlfriend's body like they had all of the time in the world to lounge in their bed and have slow, torturous orgasms.

But a blonde head shook, and those penetrating blue eyes looked at her like she was kidding herself, "We've already not talked about it for too long. Two months of not talking, is too long, especially when it comes to this. To us."

Arizona reached her hands out to land on Callie's hips, her thumbs automatically stroking circles into the soft fabric of the Latina's dress and walking her backwards until she hit the bed, and Callie's knees gave in, and she fell ungracefully into her butt while Arizona stood in front of her, hands on her hips.

And as she stood there, Callie felt an unbelievably strong feeling of uncertainty come over her. She _knew_ how much her girlfriend loved her, was in love with her. It was in every look, every touch, every word she sent her way. But neither of their feelings was called into question right now. It wasn't about love.

"Sometimes love just isn't enough, is it?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat, the words choking her.

They made Arizona stop dead in her pacing tracks and stare at her, face paling, "Well. That is the opposite point I was going to make. For some people, love isn't enough, but for us… I feel like it is. It has to be."

Her words made Callie's heart beat faster, her stomach flutter, but she shut her eyes, "Arizona, you don't even believe in long distance relationships. You've told me several times before… and this isn't just long distance, its long distance while both of us work at least eighty hour weeks at demanding jobs. It was going to be tough enough for us with me doing my residency here, but now that that's not going to happen..." she trailed off, because she just couldn't finish her thoughts.

She had thought that her attempt at breaking up with Arizona last summer had been the hardest thing she was going to have to do, and she didn't think it was possible for her to have fallen even more in love with Arizona than she was then. But somehow, in the last nine months, that was proven false, because she felt like there was something more that she could fall in love with every day.

The blonde walked forward, pressing her finger against Callie's lips, effectively stopping her from speaking any more words that could possibly come out, "That's enough. So, I never particularly believed that long distance relationships could work. But after Joanne, I never believed that I was going to find someone who made me feel so completely whole. I never thought that I would fall in love so deeply that I couldn't even imagine my life without another person. I didn't believe those things, until I met _you_, Calliope. Long distance… sucks. It sucks, but I want to find a way to do it, for you. For us."

She felt herself nodding along with her girlfriend's words but her heart was just beating too fast for her to say anything. And then Arizona hitched up her dress just a bit, revealing more of the smooth skin of her thighs as she pushed herself onto Callie's lap. Her hands came up to Arizona's waist, steadying her, as her girlfriend continued.

"And honestly… yeah, we aren't going to be able to see each other that often for the next year, but I'm not kidding when I tell you that if you go to Hopkins and find that you love it so much you don't want to leave, I _am going to transfer there_. Or if you want to come back, then you transfer somewhere here. How would breaking up solve any of our problems?" those deep blue eyes probed hers, searching for answers, as Arizona's weight settled on top of her thighs and her legs folded completely on either side of her.

Unable to control her actions, she leaned forward just a little bit and brushed her lips over Arizona's. The touch was barely a whisper over soft lips, but she didn't pull away to tell her, "I don't think it would. Because I wouldn't date anyone else, and either way, I think it's just going to be miserable. But if we break up… I just don't think it would do anything. At least if we stay together then we can just find ways to make it work, right?"

Pale hands lightly played with the dark curls that fell to her mid-back and Arizona nodded with a small smile on her face, "So, this is part of what I was going to tell you as a surprise. But, well, I want you to be happy about Hopkins. At least, as happy as you can be, which I understand might not be that much because I have the same terrible, sick feeling in my own stomach that you probably do. I hate knowing that in a month, I'm not going to be able to come back from work and walk in on you singing power ballads in Spanish in our bedroom. But you need to focus on the good things, too. And there will be good things."

Arizona slid one of her hands down, interlocking their fingers and lifting them up, skimming her lips over Callie's fingertips, "These fingers, are going to hold a scalpel in them. You're going to do surgeries and you're going to get new experiences, and I know from my own experience that Hopkins is _awesome_. There are going to be some nights where you will get home from your shift and you'll be so tired, you won't even be thinking clearly enough to register that I'm not in bed with you."

Her tone was cheery and convincing, but Callie knew that neither one of them believed that particular statement. But she let it go, because she knew Arizona was just trying to make both of them feel better.

"And… okay, don't tell anyone in either of our families that I told you this, because we've all been planning it for over a month, but I don't want to wait to tell you," Arizona started, hedging around the topic, and scrunching up her nose just a bit before shaking it and getting that mischievous glint in her eyes, leaning her head in so that her mouth was right next to Callie's ear, "Your dad and I found an apartment for you. It's nice – you're going to like it – and it's right down the street from the hospital. Aria and I picked out furniture – don't worry, she chose the colors. And my parents have been helping put it all together."

Callie could feel her mouth falling open in shock, and she pulled back just a little bit, "What?"

Her girlfriend sent her the cutest smile as she nodded, "We all know it's going to be hard, for both of us. But at least I'll be here in our apartment. So… we were going to surprise you and show you all of the pictures of everything tonight at dinner, but I wanted to tell you first. And I want you to know that you are less than an hour away from my parents, so it's not like you won't have anyone down there. My mom is already planning on coming to visit you at least once a week; in fact, you'll probably get sick of her –"

Arizona started to ramble in the way that only she could do, and Callie slid her hands from their hold on her waist, up to slide into her hair, then bringing her down and cutting off her talking by connecting their lips. This time, she parted the blonde's lips with her tongue and it wasn't feather light. She moaned at the taste of her, and she just really loved her so much…

Her girlfriend was the one to pull back, and Callie could feel both of her hands fisted against her back, as she panted a little bit, "Calliope, we need to stop. Because my hands wants to dive into your perfectly curled hair and ruin it, and whenever we talk about you leaving – whenever I think about it, really – I want to have you, and I can't take you right now because you are graduating soon and we just don't have time."

She felt a laugh come out of her, and she knew that the husky tone of it was what caused the blonde to get visible goose bumps on her skin, "I love you. And, so, we'll do a year apart. One of us will have to transfer – there's no question about it – but we can do it."

The blonde nodded quickly, her wavy hair bouncing with the movement as she slowly slid back and touched her feet back onto the floor, standing up and offering her hands down to take Callie's, "We can. We've done so much in the last two years, Calliope. We can do anything. What is a year when I want to be with you forever?"

Sometimes she thought that Arizona could actually make her heart melt, and she locked their fingers together, letting herself be pulled up to stand as her girlfriend dropped one of her hands to reach out for the box that was on the dresser that contained her cap and gown, "I guess if we're thinking in terms of a lifetime, it's not that long."

They started out of the apartment, locking it as they went, and Arizona looked at her solemnly, "It's absolutely not long at all. We've already been together for longer than that. Sometimes, I feel like I've blinked and our entire relationship has gone by just like that. So, let's just try to think that that's how this next year will be, all right?"

They continued on their way to the commencement ceremony and before they separated for her to go inside, she made them stop, lifting her free hand to touch Arizona's face lightly, her thumb coming to lightly press against her chin, "I love you. So much. And I love how you can think on the bright side even when I'm having trouble."

The blonde sent her a grin, "Well, it's not easy being cheerful, Calliope. And besides, I have thought of three simple things for us to utilize in the next year to keep us going: phone calls, skype, and visits."

Stooping just slightly to press a soft kiss to her lips, she whispered, "I'm sure we'll make do."

Arizona lifted her hands to adjust her cap, just so, "You look beautiful, Calliope. You're going to rock graduation. Hopkins won't know what hit them. I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, then, trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach, she turned and went to sit in her given spot. Where her life was going to change, so soon.

In the beginning of the ceremony, the dean of medicine stood to face the crowd, "Would all those graduating today from Harvard Medical School please rise for a reciting of the Physician's Oath?" Her stomach clenched tightly in anticipation, excitement, a thrill rushing through her as she stood, silently mouthing the words along with the dean, "I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity; I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due; I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity; The health of my patients will be my number one consideration; I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after my patient has died; I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession; My colleagues will be my brothers and sisters; I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, gender, politics, socioeconomic standing, or sexual orientation to intervene between my duty and my patient; I will maintain the utmost respect for human life; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity; I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor."

The power of saying those words rushed through her, and as the procession of names started to be called, she twisted her hands together in her lap, biting her lip. This was it. This was the day she was waiting for her whole life.

Turning in her seat and looking up into the crowd, she sought out a pair of blue eyes that she knew would be watching her. As she met them, Arizona sent her a bright, dimpled smile and mouthed, "I love you!"

So maybe she didn't imagine herself moving to Baltimore for her residency, but in the beginning of med school, she didn't imagine herself in love with a woman, so in love that she would do anything for her. Sometimes things didn't go as planned, but maybe that made them all the better.

And within the next year, she found that Arizona's three steps to keeping their relationship alive worked. Phone calls, skyping, and in-person visits would, indeed, make them go very far in continuing their relationship despite the four hundred mile difference between them

_Callie laid in bed, waiting for Arizona to answer her phone. It was the night after her first shift of residency and the two of them agreed that, in order to make the distance easier to manage, they shouldn't skype for at least the entire week. _

_But she'd only been gone for three days so far, and she was already in withdrawal from not seeing Arizona's face. Eyelids drooping, she kept them open so she could look at the picture of her girlfriend she had set up on her bedside table as the blonde picked up the phone, "Calliope! I didn't think you were going to have enough energy to call tonight."_

_She sighed sleepily into the receiver, taking in one last look at the blue eyes and dimples smiling back at her from the picture frame, and keeping the image in her mind, "I needed to hear you." They hadn't spoken since Arizona had called her in the morning of the beginning of her shift, which was nearly two days ago. _

"_I needed to hear you, too," Arizona admitted in a whisper, which told Callie that she was at the hospital and not in a private place, "How was your first shift?"_

_She thought back to the five care pileup that had taken place a few streets over from the hospital. On her very first shift, she had seen a woman come in with her carpal bones completely revealed. She had touched bones on her very first day, and the memory made her smile, "It was good. The only bad thing is that I missed you."_

_She heard Arizona move in the background, and a door swung closed behind her, the blonde not whispering anymore, "I missed you, too. But I just keep telling myself that missing you is good, because the longer it goes without me seeing you, the quicker our visit is going to come. Right?"_

_Yawning widely, her eyes watering even as they were closed, she felt any tension that was in her body relax away at hearing Arizona's voice, "Right."_

_The blonde's low chuckle in her ear made her snuggle in closer to the phone, "Calliope, you are falling sleep on the phone."_

_She was already in that place between consciousness and sleep, and she didn't deny it, "I know, but I want to hear you. Just… stay with me til I fall asleep, okay?"_

_Arizona's smile was evident through her voice and Callie knew that if they were together, she would be stroking her fingers through her hair, "Okay, baby."_

_Their first skype sex session was unscheduled, and it happened almost two months in. Phone sex was something they had both become intimately familiar with, but there was something strange about having sex via watching each other via webcam. _

_At least, that's what Arizona kept saying, but Callie, at this point, was desperate, "Arizona, sweetie, just lower your camera." She intended for her words to be coaxing, but they were much more demanding and pleading._

_They were both already naked in their respective beds, and Callie could see the way her girlfriend's chest was heaving as her breathing was heavy. She already had one hand between her own legs, stroking over her own clit lightly. It wouldn't take her long to finish herself off; since she had had to start getting herself off more often than not, it never took long, especially when Arizona's voice was in her ear, whispering dirty words to her._

_And she knew it was going to be even better seeing her, even if it was only via webcam. A whimper came out of the back of her throat as Arizona lowered her laptop to rest on her lower stomach so Callie had a perfect view of her breasts. It didn't take much longer than that for her girlfriend to start getting more into it, especially when she realized that this was going to be mutually beneficial for her, as Callie lowered her own laptop to rest between her legs._

_It was discovered that while they would both much rather have themselves and each other come while at the hands and tongue of her girlfriend, the next best thing was to be able to physically see it happening. She always knew that Arizona was just about to fall over the edge and into her release when the tip of her pink tongue would peek out the side of her mouth, and her fingers would roll at and pinch her nipple, and then her fingers stopped thrusting and stayed buried deep inside of herself._

_They became masters of coming together and literally learned every visual and auditory sign of the other person right before she was caught in the throes of orgasm._

_Then there was the last time Arizona came to visit Callie. Because of both of their hectic schedules, they managed to see each other in person, on average, once every month. Sometimes once every month and a half. It wasn't ideal or perfect – nothing about their situation was – but it made both of them take advantage of every second of every two or three day span they had with each other._

_This last visit came in April. Callie had Arizona pinned to the door of her bedroom, the blonde's legs wrapped around her waist while her pants hung off of one ankle, and she had her hands locked above her head, pressed against the doorframe, fingers locked together tightly as her hand pumped in and out of slick heat. It barely took Arizona a minute to claw her free hand at Callie's back, her center tightening around her, her voice strangled as she cried out, "Calliope!"_

_Heart pounding, she let Arizona's legs fall to the ground, as she breathed just as hard as the blonde. Eventually, as her girlfriend nuzzled her nose into the skin of her neck, she inhaled deeply, "God, the clothes you send me don't do you justice."_

_They were back on that routine they'd been on in the beginning of their relationship where Callie would give Arizona her pajamas, the Calliope smelling pajamas, and Arizona would give her the old ones, that smelled like her. Once a week, they would mail them back and forth, and neither one of them gave a damn if it was strange; it made them feel closer at night and had helped them get through the last ten months. _

_She let out a low laugh, then pressed her lips against her girlfriend's neck, "I'm going to apologize in advance for getting a little… overzealous." The several love bites she'd given on that neck were already starting to form._

_But Arizona simply shrugged, "Did it look like I was complaining?"_

"_Hmm," she thought of the pleasured groans and squeals she'd just elicited from the blonde, "Nope."_

_Arizona had been about to respond when a realization had hit her, "Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe… well, I can believe I forgot, because as soon as I came in here, you had me up against the door and your fingers and you mouth… but I have something for you."_

_She wiggled out of Callie's grasp, and bent down to retrieve the pants she had just kicked off, fishing around in her pockets, and pulling out a folded envelope. With the biggest smile she'd been wearing in quite some time, she presented the envelope to her girlfriend, "For you, Calliope. I had to beg to get the privilege to give it to you in person."_

_Feeling excitement rush through her, she'd torn open the letter and skimmed her eyes over it. A smile took over her own face as Arizona threw her arms around her neck, pressing her lips against Callie's earlobe and whispering, "Welcome back to Boston, baby."_

_Her acceptance letter from Mass Gen, coming a year later than expected. But she thought her year at Hopkins had been good to her. Then she looked into those sparkling blue eyes, "I think it's going to be great to be back."_

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! Thank you so much to everyone who has made this journey with** **me; writing and completing this story has brought me a lot of ups and downs, and I can't even tell you how much I appreciate you all sticking with it for 49 chapters! I have the sequel (The Best Laid Plans: Expect the Unexpected) planned to start anytime within a few weeks, definitely before the next month goes by. So, if you're interested in it, keep an eye out! ****  
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